Is the Parking Brake System the Handbrake?
2 Answers
Parking brake system is the handbrake. More information about the parking brake system is as follows: 1. Parking brake, commonly known as handbrake. Function: Provides resistance to the car when parked. 2. The parking brake is either the handbrake or the parking gear in an automatic transmission, used to lock the drive shaft or rear wheels. The parking brake has less force than the service brake and only prevents the vehicle from rolling when parked on a slope. 3. There are different types of parking brakes. Mechanical mechanisms operated by hand or foot; high-end vehicles increasingly use electronically controlled parking systems, commonly known as electronic handbrakes. 4. Traditional handbrakes require the driver to manually release the handbrake or skillfully coordinate the throttle and clutch for a smooth start on a slope; electronic handbrakes use a slope sensor to provide accurate parking force through the controller.
I've been driving various cars for twenty years, and to be honest, the parking brake is what we commonly call the handbrake, but it's not exactly the same. On older cars like the Santana, pulling that lever after parking is called the handbrake, purely relying on steel cables to brake the rear wheels. Nowadays, in new cars like Tesla or Volkswagen, many have switched to electronic buttons—just press it, and it automatically locks, which is very convenient, but the principle remains the parking brake. I think no matter what it's called, the purpose is to prevent the car from rolling on a slope. Experience tells me that when parking, you must pull the handbrake tight and check that the dashboard light is on, especially on icy roads in winter—don’t skip this step out of laziness. Safety is the most important thing; don’t be careless. It’ll be too late if an accident happens.
