What is the correct sequence between handbrake and gear shifting?
4 Answers
When starting the vehicle, you should first engage the gear and then release the handbrake. When parking, you should first apply the handbrake and then shift to neutral. Below are the specific reasons: When starting, engaging the gear before releasing the handbrake prevents the vehicle from rolling backward. If you release the handbrake first, the vehicle will be in neutral for a short period before engaging the gear. During startup, you may not know if the ground is level. If it's inclined, the vehicle in neutral could roll backward, potentially causing an accident. When parking, after bringing the vehicle to a complete stop, you should first apply the handbrake and then shift to neutral. This ensures maximum stability and prevents the vehicle from moving. Many people tend to release the clutch and brake immediately after shifting to neutral. If the gear isn't correctly in neutral or the parking spot is on a slope, the vehicle may move. However, for automatic transmission vehicles, you should directly shift to P (Park) and then apply the handbrake when parking.
Back when I was learning to drive, my instructor repeatedly emphasized: when parking on a slope, you must press the brake → shift to N → engage the handbrake firmly → release the foot brake → shift to P. The principle is simple: when parked on an incline, the vehicle's weight is most safely borne by the handbrake. If you shift to P before engaging the handbrake, the locking mechanism can jam the transmission gears, and you might hear a loud 'click' when shifting next time. I once tried this in a mall parking garage, and the gears got completely stuck—I had to rock the car back and forth to unlock them. Now, whether on flat ground or a slope, I've developed the habit of engaging the handbrake before shifting to P. After all, replacing a transmission is far more expensive than replacing brake pads.
After running an auto repair shop for ten years, I've seen too many transmission damages caused by incorrect operation sequences. Here's a key point: It's fine to park casually on flat ground, but when parking on a slope, always remember to engage the parking brake first to let the brake shoes grip, then shift to P before releasing the foot brake. We've disassembled many damaged P-lock hooks - the metal claws were all deformed. Especially for automatic transmission vehicles, the P gear is just a small locking pin bearing the entire vehicle's weight, which can lead to increased gear clearance over time. The most extreme case I've seen had gear clearance so large that the car would still roll when shifted to D. The safest practice is to gently release the foot brake after applying the parking brake to confirm the vehicle doesn't move, then shift to P.
For those of us who frequently transport goods on mountain roads, we all know that the handbrake should be the main force when parking on a slope. The operation process consists of three steps: press the brake pedal and pull up the handbrake, slowly release the foot brake, and if the car still moves, pull the handbrake higher, then finally shift into P gear. Once in winter, I parked on an icy road and forgot this sequence. The next day, the transmission was frozen solid, and it took a forklift half an hour to tow it before it thawed. Now, I always keep wheel chocks in the car, and for particularly steep slopes, I place them behind the tires as an extra precaution. In the end, letting the braking system do the work is both more cost-effective and safer than making the transmission bear the brunt.
