Should You Engage the Handbrake or Shift to Neutral First When Parking?

[DelJayla]

When parking, you should engage the handbrake first and then shift to neutral. The correct parking sequence is: after the vehicle comes to a complete stop, first engage the handbrake, then shift to neutral, release the clutch, finally release the brake, turn off the turn signal, shut off the engine, depress the clutch, and shift into first gear. The handbrake, professionally referred to as an auxiliary brake, operates differently from the main brake system. It uses a steel cable connected to the rear brake shoes to apply braking force to the vehicle. Additional relevant information is as follows: 1. Neutral typically refers to the state where the gear lever of a motor vehicle is not engaged in any forward or reverse gear, completely separating the transmission from the drive wheels. 2. For manual transmissions, the neutral position is in the middle, while for automatic transmissions, it is marked with an "N".