Where is the handbrake located in a car?
3 Answers
The handbrake of a car is located next to the gear lever on the right side of the driver's seat. The handbrake, also known as the parking brake, serves the following purposes: 1. It keeps the car stationary and prevents it from rolling downhill; 2. Pulling up the handbrake during a turn can create a drifting effect. Precautions for using the handbrake include: 1. Avoid pulling the mechanical handbrake too tightly; 2. For automatic transmission vehicles, engage the handbrake before shifting into P (Park) mode. The working principle of a car handbrake is: 1. The brake disc connected to the driveshaft transmits the pulling force back through the steel cable to achieve parking braking; 2. After pulling the handbrake, the hydraulic auxiliary cylinder is used to push the hydraulic master cylinder under the car, which then drives the air valve to act, thereby braking the driveshaft.
When I used to drive a manual transmission, I was most familiar with the handbrake position—it would quietly sit on the driver's right side, next to the center armrest, as that long metal lever. Now, driving an automatic, I've noticed the positions are more varied. For example, my cousin's American car hides it on the lower left side of the steering wheel, requiring the left foot to press. Recently, test-driving a new energy vehicle completely颠覆了我的认知—they replaced the physical handbrake with an electronic button on a piano black panel, possibly located near the gear shift, on the left dashboard by the steering wheel, or below the center screen. During driving lessons, the instructor always emphasized how crucial it is to locate the handbrake first when getting into a car, especially when temporarily driving someone else's. Oh, and before driving off, don’t forget to check the dashboard—if the handbrake indicator light is on, it means it hasn’t been fully released.
Last week, I made a fool of myself while helping a friend move his car—I spent five minutes searching for the handbrake in his Tesla. Nowadays, new cars commonly use electronic parking brakes instead of traditional levers, offering much more flexible placement—it might be in front of the cupholder on the center console, below the left air vent of the driver's seat, or even integrated into the steering wheel stalk. Before driving, it's advisable to scan the area from the driver's left panel to the gear shift; a round or square button marked with a "P" is likely the one. The advantage of electronic parking brakes is that they activate automatically when braking hard at a red light, and on slopes, you don’t need to release the brake while pressing the accelerator like with traditional handbrakes. However, be extra careful in rainy weather to avoid getting the button area wet from water bottles.
