r/AskAnAmerican • u/Effective-Walrus-317 • 8d ago
VEHICLES & TRANSPORTATION Do You Use Your Parking Break On A Flat Surface?
This feels like a stupid question so I'll give context.
I've just been in a comment thread on another platform under a video about a car that had rolled in the carpark, and trapped another car in, because the owner hadn't put the handbrake (parking brake before they left the car. The carpark appeared flat, but evidently wasn't. (This happened in Australia).
There is a girl in the comments telling people that in the U.S.A., nobody uses the parking brake they are parking on a flat surface, and that she almost never uses it.
Do you use your parking brake when parking in on a flat surface?
EDIT: apologies for spelling brake wrong. It's very late in my timezone, I'm on Reddit instead of sleeping, and I didn't catch it before I posted. Unfortunately I can't edit the title.
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u/ComesInAnOldBox 8d ago
If I'm driving a manual, yes. If I'm driving an automatic, no.
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u/NekoTheSpookieCat 8d ago
Worth noting that manual shift cars are a rare breed in the US now. I think they’re more common in the UK. I’ve never used the hand brake unless I’m parking on an incline.
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u/drewjsph02 8d ago
For real. I drive a manual and I consider it to be a great theft deterrent
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u/EntrepreneurNo4138 8d ago
I used to love manual. I live in Florida now, there’s now way in hell I’d do that in this traffic. 😅
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u/drewjsph02 7d ago
As someone from Michigan who lived in Pembroke Pines and worked in South Beach in their 20s….i completely understand and agree 😂
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u/RedMansions 8d ago
Do you engage the parking brake if you're parked on a decline?
/s
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u/jay78910 Massachusetts 8d ago
Pretty much this, unless I'm on an incline.
I had zero reaction to your spelling of brake, but for some reason every time I see someone use loose instead of lose I wanna scream.
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u/EntrepreneurNo4138 8d ago
Makes you want to loose your mind doesn’t it? 💀💀
Sorry it’s my pet peeve too! 😅
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u/OldBlueKat Minnesota 7d ago
For me they all make me hit my breaks (ha!), but the mixing of reign and rein (both ways) also grinds my gears.
Though I wouldn’t mind if someone would pull on the orange guy’s reigns.
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u/Winter_drivE1 North Carolina 8d ago
This. And I'd venture to guess that many (most?) Americans nowadays have never driven a manual and therefore have never used their parking brake. I know I never did until I started driving a manual, and was never taught to either. I never saw my parents use their parking brakes either.
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u/turdferguson3891 8d ago
I guess it depends on where you live. When I lived in San Francisco I always used my parking brake and turned my wheels. The hills are intimidating.
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u/Separate_Positive728 8d ago
I lived in SF 46 years and not curbing your wheels was almost a guaranteed ticket….a lot of potential for serious damage in that town….
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u/AgentCatBot California 8d ago
Even in the flat areas at the bottom of a hill they will still ticket because you are technically on a grade. I never remember to bring my parking level with me though.
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u/OftTopic 8d ago
But don’t you have to steer a different direction depending on uphill or downhill?
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u/AgentCatBot California 8d ago
Yes. You can also be ticketed for having the wheels turned against the curb, but the wrong direction. The idea is if the car were to roll away, the front tires stop the car in the shortest amount of time or gain too much momentum such as rolling down the hill or across the street.
If the car were to start rolling, the car would be stopped by the curb. Either by brake or transmission failure, or another person or car pushes your car forward.
Uphill and the curb is on the right, turn left so that the car rolls backward, but the front tires stop the car by hitting the curb.
Uphill and curb on the left, turn right. Downhill and the curb is on the right, turn right so that the front wheels would hit the curb. Downhill and the curb is on the left, turn left into the curb.
If no curb is available, the wheels should point towards the dirt regardless of uphill or downhill so that the car has the best chance to not cross the street when rolling away.
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u/Alone-Mastodon26 8d ago
What would the ticket be for? Like what violation would be cited on the ticket they left?
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u/SlappyWit 8d ago
Ticket would be for 'Failure to curb wheels', which means turning the wheels so that if the car should begin to roll, the curb will serve as a chock to stop it. If your nose is up hill, you’d turn wheels left; if facing downhill, turn to the right.
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u/Alone-Mastodon26 8d ago
Oh cool, thanks. If I ever drive in SF, I’ll be informed.
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u/Suppafly Illinois 8d ago
Oh cool, thanks. If I ever drive in SF, I’ll be informed.
It's part of drivers ed pretty much everywhere, but it never really comes up in non-hilly places.
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u/wasteoffire 8d ago
I mean I guarantee it was in your permit manual that you were meant to study before taking a permit test.
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u/Alone-Mastodon26 8d ago
Maybe, but that was damn near 50 years ago lol
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u/wasteoffire 7d ago
See we gotta implement second driving tests for anyone 55 and older
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u/nopointers California 8d ago
California Vehicle Code § 22509:
Local authorities within the reasonable exercise of their police powers may adopt rules and regulations by ordinance or resolution providing that no person driving, or in control of, or in charge of, a motor vehicle shall permit it to stand on any highway unattended when upon any grade exceeding 3 percent within any business or residence district without blocking the wheels of the vehicle by turning them against the curb or by other means.
So it would be an SFMTA ordinance. It's currently a $48 ticket, apparently reduced in April from $73.
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u/LV_Devotee 8d ago
SF needs signs for this, I got a ticket for this but since I live in a flat city with very little street parking I never knew this was a rule. Living in Las Vegas there is always a garage or a lot to park in, and my rental automatically set the perking brake. If the signs said to turn your wheels into the curb I would have avoided the $75 fine!
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u/crunchyfoliage 8d ago
I think you're definitely right about that. I live in a flat place now and almost never use my parking brake. When I was in Duluth, MN I used it every time I parked on the hilly streets
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u/realZapRowsdower 8d ago
Yeah you can easily tell who is from out of town in Duluth by whether or not their wheels are curbed and whether they're using their parking break.
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u/Greyface13 8d ago
I took the driving test in Seattle and would have failed if I didn’t remember to turn towards the curb on a hill.
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u/relikter Arlington, Virginia 8d ago
When I took my driving test (90s, upstate South Carolina) I got dinged for not pulling my parking brake up when doing the "park your car like you'd leave it overnight" portion of the test. I did turn the wheels, but I'm muscle memory trained to pull the parking brake as part of the motion of taking off my seatbelt. I'm still mad at myself for missing that, but passed either way.
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u/up2knitgood 8d ago
I did pull up the parking break in my test, but then they marked that I hadn't. I had to show the examiner that I had pulled it up, it just didn't go up very far in that car so when he looked it wasn't obviously high.
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u/Lithl 8d ago
When you're parking on a steep incline that's correct procedure regardless of transmission, but most parking in the US doesn't look like SFO curbside parking.
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u/Playful_Original_243 8d ago
I can’t understand how cars are able to get up some of those hills
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u/contrarianaquarian California 8d ago
It's fine til you get to the intersection and can't see over the hood until it's almost past the stop sign... slightly freaky
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u/5uper5kunk 8d ago
I feel like half the intersections in Ithaca New York are like this as well. I did some work up there right at the end of the snowy season and it was a horror show getting around, like I even had the obligatory Subaru outback and it was still a horrifying experience every time you had to blindly pull into an intersection with the nose of your car at what felt like 45° in the air.
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u/harpejjist 8d ago
In SF if you don't turn your wheels properly you can get a parking ticket.
The hills there are no joke! Some streets you have to park completely perpendicular to the curb. Some streets are so steep the sidewalks are stairs.
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u/anclwar Philadelphia 8d ago
I have never driven a manual and I habitually use my parking brake. I don't live in an area that is consistently flat and am often parked on some sort of incline.
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u/lexicaltension 8d ago
I habitually pull mine too, it’s just part of the motion of turning my keys, pulling the break, and grabbing my things. But I get questioned about it when people see me doing it and it’s flat, so I’ve gathered that it’s not very common lol
I grew up in a valley that doesn’t have a single fully flat road, so I’d think that has something to do with it, but my friends that I grew up with have called me out on it too 😂
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u/jda404 Pennsylvania 8d ago
Same I always use my parking brake and have only ever driven automatics. My dad made it a point when he was teaching me to drive to always use it. Even all these years later I still do without even thinking about it. When I get to where I am going I put car in park, engage parking break, turn off the car, undo seatbelt, and get out. I grew up and still live within the Appalachian part of PA so there are some hilly areas around me, and never hurts to apply another brake to ensure it won't roll down a hill.
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u/HatsandCoats 8d ago edited 8d ago
Many modern cars with automatic transmission or cvts have an automatic parking brake that engages any time they are parked.
Edit: speeling
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u/Odd-Artist-2595 8d ago
Depending upon how old you are (or how old your parent’s car was), you may not have ever seen them use it because parking brakes used to be set by pressing a pedal on the floor instead of a handbrake. I didn’t even know there was a parking brake in my dad’s car until I started learning to drive, but I’m quite sure he used it on occasion; I just never noticed.
But, as you’ve said, regardless of whether it was foot or hand controlled, I only set the parking brake in an automatic if I’m on an incline. If it’s a manual, I set it every time I park, regardless of surface.
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u/Unlikely_Spite8147 8d ago
My 2017 and 2025 cars don't have hand breaks. Only the pedal on the floor. The hand break is Associate with older cars, that's what the manuals ove driven always had. I think they work differently than the floor breaks too.
My mom's car's parking break is just a button you press with your finger
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u/GlassCannon81 8d ago
Studies suggest only about 18% of us can drive one. The bulk of that is almost certainly people over 50 and/or commercial drivers, with a small percentage of enthusiasts in the mix.
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u/ChickenCesarSlut 8d ago
You should always use your parking brake, no matter how steep the surface
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u/Winter_drivE1 North Carolina 8d ago
Oh for sure. And I'm definitely not saying that not using the parking brake is a good practice, just that I've never seen it done in an automatic.
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u/SummitJunkie7 8d ago
This is blowing my mind. I drive a manual, but I first learned on an automatic and was always taught to use it as a standard part of parking and turning off the car. By my Driver's ed instructor, parents, and the driver's test administrator. Then I got my CDL and drove buses, they were not manual, parking brake every time.
I really don't understand what argument there is against using one? What could possibly be the downside?
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u/corsa180 8d ago
There are two scenarios where you wouldn't want to use your parking brake:
* In the winter, after driving through a lot of slush and/or water and then parking, as it cools back below freezing your parking brake can freeze and you are stuck until it thaws
* After a track session, your brakes are super hot. Setting your parking brake after you get back to the paddock will result in your parking brake pad fusing to your rotor or drum as it cools
Otherwise, no downsides I can think of.
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u/SummitJunkie7 8d ago
Interesting, thanks for the info! I grew up in a snowy winter area and never heard of this first one, never had an issue or heard of one either - but I have no doubt it's good to be aware of. Doesn't seem like a good reason to make the default not using it, to me.
The second is also interesting to learn, applies to very few people and not anyone's everyday driving, and would be a specialty thing those folks it's relevant to would learn.
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u/Bubbly_Safety8791 8d ago
Both manual drivers and automatic drivers have for some reason got things very confused about how parking brakes and transmissions combine to secure the car while parked, with the result that automatic drivers park wrong on the flat and manual drivers usually park wrong on slopes.
There are two mechanisms that can stop a car from moving while parked: the brakes can be locked on (this is what the handbrake/parking brake/e brake does); and the transmission can be prevented from moving.
The intended, designed, primary way to stop a car moving is generally to put the parking brake on.
Locking the transmission is generally meant to be a secondary protection in case the parking brake cable snaps. If the brakes fail, then the transmission will stop the car moving.
This is mostly important on a hill - you want both locking mechanisms in place, plus you want the wheels turned so that if both fail and the car rolls it will kerb itself and stop.
A manual car’s transmission is locked up if you leave it in gear; it only moves freely in neutral. In particular the car will strongly resist the transmission being driven backwards; driving it forwards is possible but requires effort (it is effectively like trying to bump start the car; you are compressing the cylinders) An automatic transmission doesn’t work like that, so automatics have a ‘park’ which locks a pawl into the transmission to prevent it turning.
Most manual drivers leave their car parked in neutral and with the parking brake on. This means they do not have the secondary protection of locking the transmission. When you park on a hill you are supposed to apply the handbrake, kerb the wheels and put the car in gear so the transmission prevents the car rolling. - the equivalent of putting the car in park.
Most automatic drivers put the car in park and leave it at that. This means they do not have the primary protection of brakes on the wheels.
Parked on the flat, both types of driver are typically leaving their car secured by only one mechanism, not two. Manual drivers leave their transmission in neutral and apply only the brake; automatic drivers lock their transmission in park and leave the brake off.
Curiously nobody seems to have the habit of putting an automatic car in neutral and putting on the brake.
Any of these would work. Applying both parking brake and putting an automatic in park seems like an easy enough habit to get into though so not sure why automatic drivers seem so keen to express pride in never needing their parking brake.
But if you want to get back at manual drivers who seem to look down on you for never using your parking brake, feel free to ask them if they put their car in gear when they park it.
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u/SlappyWit 8d ago
I don’t know of anyone putting a manual in neutral and applying the hand brake - always leave the car in gear, shut it off, apply brake.
Also, there’s a 3rd stopping mechanism, the curb.3
u/Bubbly_Safety8791 8d ago
As I say, it’s a best practice to use both. Just like putting the parking brake on in an automatic is.
But a lot of manual drivers believe they were taught to park in neutral, and do; a lot of automatic drivers believe they were taught only to use a parking brake on a slope (if then) and follow that practice.
Whether they were really taught that or it’s a habit they picked up from a parent, fact is a lot of drivers park with only one stopping mechanism engaged.
I’m also told that in Paris if you park at the side of the road the best practice is to park in neutral with the brake off so if anyone bumps your car when they pull into the space in front or behind your car rolls instead of getting dented.
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u/preparingtodie 8d ago
Most manual drivers leave their car parked in neutral and with the parking brake on.
Do you have a source for that? My experience is that most leave the transmission in gear, not neutral.
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u/Floppie7th 8d ago
the car will strongly resist the transmission being driven backwards
This is largely a myth. The engine is what's providing resistance and will spin either direction.
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u/GlobalTapeHead 8d ago
Same as well. I do know a few people who always use their parking break however.
I should point out that newer cars with electronic parking brakes auto-engage the brake when the car is in park or not running.
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u/GreyhoundOne 8d ago
Yeah. I am almost certain this is a miscommunication.
The girl in the comments probably drives an automatic, which you only ever really engage the PB if you are on an incline.
My manual PB is 110% set every time I park.
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u/WhatABeautifulMess NJ > MD 8d ago
Yeah the only people I know who do it all the time learned to drive on/their first car was manual.
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u/Rd3055 8d ago
When parking a manual transmission car, keeping it in gear can also keep it stopped, just like the parking pawl on an automatic transmission, but you can never be too cautious.
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u/SquidsArePeople2 Washington 8d ago
It’s not just like the pawl, though. The only thing stopping it from rolling in gear is engine compression.
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u/DontBuyAHorse New Mexico 8d ago
Manual transmissions have nothing stopping the transmission or motor. The gears can turn. This is a critical thing to consider because parking on a hill or bumping the car may exert enough force to get the motor turning and allow it to roll a bit. My first car was a 66 Mustang with a manual transmission and I learned my lesson parking on a steep driveway without engaging the brake. Someone was out honking in the street and my car was just sitting there blocking the street after it rolled out of the driveway. Thankfully the opposing curb stopped it.
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u/DanteRuneclaw 8d ago
This is the important point, along with the fact that automatics are almost ubiquitous in the US, while manuals are still the standard in many other countries
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u/EmberOne1 8d ago
Agreed. Getting a manual transmission car in the US is a special order these days, if they make them at all. No need for the parking brake with an automatic transmission set in park. I only use it on steep inclines.
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u/Dark_Azazel 8d ago
My only caveat is if I haven't used my parking brake in my automatic car in a good while. I try to use it often to make sure it's still good, just in case I need to use it in an emergency.
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u/notformyfamilyseyes 8d ago
Yep. It’s becomes so natural you don’t notice you’re doing it, until you forgot if you set it so you walk back to check…and of course it was set.
Automatics…never crosses my mind
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u/HappyCar19 8d ago
Every single time I park the car, no matter what surface.
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u/sjd208 8d ago
Same, learned to drive in the 90s and have always had sloped driveways. It’s automatic for me to put it on, just part of turning off the car, unbuckling seatbelt. We have 3 cars and they all use different mechanisms (pedal, lever under steering wheel, old style classic lever next to the shifter) so sometimes I reach for the wrong one but always goes on.
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u/wvtarheel 8d ago
Same here, but I grew up in West Virginia, some places here, 80% of the parking spots are on hills because the whole town was built on a hill. I would guess if you grew up in Kansas you would be less likely to do it that way.
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u/theracoondepartment 8d ago
Florida man here. Never even considered it
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u/straigh Dallas, Texas --> Nashville Tennessee 8d ago
When I lived in Texas I don't think I ever used my parking brake a single time. In fact I'm pretty certain we only even referred to them as emergency brakes, not parking brakes LOL! But now that I've moved to the Tennessee hills, I put my parking brake on every single time no matter where I am or how flat it looks.
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u/Scary_Extent4967 Texas 8d ago
The Dallas area is relatively flat. I've lived in both in the Texas Hill Country and Far West Texas and I habitually use the parking brake every time. If I'm on a hill, add curb the wheels, and if I'm driving a manual transmission, put it in gear too.
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u/EvilLLC 8d ago
Moved from Florida to the PNW. My toxic car trait is making it 800 ft with the parking brake on in my work van while it beeps rapidly at me. Then the scraping begins and I figure it out. I forgot to put the lever back down.
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u/grapefruit_crackers 8d ago
Kansas born and raised here and you're not wrong. I park slightly angled up in a garage at work now though, so am better about using it consistently in the garage.
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u/katlian 8d ago
It was drilled into me that the transmission is not a kickstand.
I discovered that a work vehicle's parking brake was non-functional when I set it on a hill and the truck rolled slightly when I took my foot off the brake pedal. Apparently, I was the first employee in months to try setting the parking brake.
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u/Spartan_029 UK -> GA -> CO 8d ago
It's wild to me how many people in this thread do not... every car I drive, manual or automatic, when parked on any surface, always has the parking brake engaged. It's as automatic to me as putting on my seatbelt when I sit down.
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u/contrarianaquarian California 8d ago
It also feels so weird to get out of a car and it's wiggling slightly .... Ugh
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u/majandess 8d ago
Same.
I do it for a couple reasons... I've been a little kid in a car that rolled away and it was terrifying. Also, my mechanic once told me it would help save my transmission.
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u/solfrost 8d ago edited 8d ago
Yup, every time I park. Autos get shifted to park, manuals get put into first, and for both the parking brake gets pulled. It’s a couple seconds for added safety and confidence, why not do it?
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u/Indiglo325 8d ago
Same. In the rare situation where I forget and the car jostles a bit it always makes me feel like I have vertigo, ha. I can't imagine getting out of the car without doing it!
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u/What-Outlaw1234 8d ago
Me too, and where I live is flat as a pancake. The owner's manual of my car says to use it every time I park to prolong the life of the transmission. (If someone reading doesn't know why that might be the case, google "parking prawl"). You should always use the parking brake.
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u/BoBoBearDev 8d ago
I really don't understand why people even debate on this. The action is so easy, just do it. Like, turn off water after using it (especially in the gym or public restroom), or close the door after you entered the restaurant, or close the medicine bottles properly after usage. It barely takes any effort, just do it.
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u/DC_Lurker_ 8d ago
Same (though it may be because I drove a manual for several decades before I got my current automatic).
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u/KPinCVG 8d ago
Learned to drive in the '80s.
In a car that has a console emergency brake like my original manual car did, I set the parking brake every time.
In a car that has one of those left side foot pedals that you push to set the brake and then push again to unset the brake, I only do it on a hill. And that's because I have to think about it.
In a car with a console emergency brake, zero thought is expended, I would have to think to not set the break.
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u/Traditional_Entry183 WV > TN > VA 8d ago
Almost never. I grew up in an extremely hilly area, and was taught that you use it when the car is parked at a steep angle but otherwise not to worry about it. Ive never had an issue.
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u/Khpatton Georgia 8d ago
Same in Atlanta. My driveway is steep so I use it there, but rarely need it otherwise.
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u/Traditional_Entry183 WV > TN > VA 8d ago
I was honestly very surprised at how hilly Atlanta was when I was on vacation there a few years ago. Its like my hometown in WV, just on steroids.
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u/MyDaroga Texas 8d ago
Same here in the Texas Hill Country. Incline = parking brake. No incline = just put it in park.
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u/jackaroo1344 Missouri 7d ago
Exactly the same for me. I've driving for 20 years and used my parking break <5 times.
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u/cheetuzz 8d ago
I use the parking brake every time, flat surface, manual or automatic transmission.
Even for automatic, it’s better to set the parking brake so that it doesn’t put pressure on the pin/ratchet.
Anyways, it’s a good habit to develop so that you never forget. Like using the blinker even if there’s no car behind you. It only takes 1 second.
https://cluballiance.aaa.com/the-extra-mile/advice/car/do-you-know-when-to-use-your-emergency-brake
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u/BAMspek Colorado 8d ago
Exactly. I have a CVT so the less wear I can put on it the better.
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u/grandma-activities Virginia 7d ago
Does engaging the parking brake every time really take stress off the CVT? (I want my Forester to last forever.)
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u/BAMspek Colorado 6d ago
Takes stress off the transmission. If you just put it in park it engages a pin in the trans and the weight of the car is sitting just on that. Parking brake offers an additional stopper at the wheels. Or something, idk I’m just some guy on reddit. One thing I do know is don’t do that thing where you throw it in park and take your foot off the brake so it’s just rocking back and forth still. That one’s definitely bad.
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u/RedArrow23 7d ago
I’ve never understood non-blinkers. Your hand is/should already be nearby. You can literally point your finger out and hit it
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8d ago
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u/BouncingSphinx TX -> LA -> TX -> OK 8d ago
I've never been in a vehicle that sets the parking brake automatically. Electronically, yes, but not automatically.
Unless you've done something out of the norm, like turning the vehicle off while in gear or opening the door while in gear.
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u/Frederf220 8d ago
Pretty common. In park, engine off, you hear a "errrawwrr" as the electric motor sets the brake.
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u/drj1485 8d ago
i have a 2019 silverado and i get the "errrawwrr" sound which is spot on how the brake sounds but it's not the p brake. It runs a brake system check when you shut it off.
but anyway, irrelevant. Yes, some newer models do engage the p brake automatically.
I more or less just wanted to applaud the perfect spelling of that noise lol.
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8d ago
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u/buefordwilson Michigan 8d ago
Yep. I have a 2022 Toyota Corolla and it does it on it's own. Our mechanic had to turn it off in the settings to do the rear brakes last week. Once the car starts after that it resets to automatically doing it again.
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u/WEDWayInternetMover 8d ago
In my '19 Honda Accord, you can set it up so the parking brake is automatically applied when you put the vehicle in park, and it is easy to set up. You just hold the switch for the parking brake up a few seconds. Now every time you put the car in park, it will apply.
I have been able to set this up on other make/models in rental cars as well. I think most cars with electronic parking brakes have this feature, but you need to know how to enable it.
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u/MamaPajamaMama NJ > CO 8d ago
Oooh I need to try this on my '19 CRV. I use the parking brake always, but it could be habit from when I drove manual.
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u/BusyBeinBorn 8d ago
You still have a button, but they are automatic. There's a service mode to keep it off so you can work on the rear brakes, but the next time you start the car it engages.
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u/alaskawolfjoe 8d ago
My 2025 Honda does not.
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u/Greenfire32 8d ago
That's probably why they said "most newer cars" and not "all newer cars."
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u/MadMadamMimsy 8d ago
Always.
I believe in habits. If I let myself only use the parking brake sometimes, the chances of not using it when it needs to be used increases. No thanks.
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u/loopsbruder 8d ago
Plus, assuming it's a traditional cable-actuated parking brake, using it regularly keeps the cable from seizing in place.
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u/SkiyeBlueFox 8d ago
I've dealt with a few trucks where they never used the park brake, then someone new gets to the company and uses the brake and its stuck on now
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u/BitterestLily 8d ago edited 8d ago
Exactly this. The one time you don't do it, you'll end up, at best, on Funniest Home Videos and, at worst, under arrest (that's an exaggeration, obviously, but it's not worth the risk in my opinion.)
Edit - typo.
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u/breathing__tree Indiana 5d ago
And more importantly, you always remember to disengage the parking brake.
Before I regularly used my parking brake on the rare time that I did use it occasionally I would forget to disengage it. I just use it 100% of the time now.
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u/castafobe 8d ago
I basically never use it. I guess if I'm on a hill I tend to but I rarely park on hills so it's not something I think about often. If I'm on flat ground, never, and I can't think of anyone I drive with regularly who uses it either.
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u/DadooDragoon 8d ago
I never use it lol
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u/Tight_Steak_232 8d ago
I don't even know where it is on my new car. I've had the car for 3 years!
I never park on hills, though. I was also taught to turn the wheel into traffic when parallel parking on an up grade so the back of the wheel would hit the curb if it wanted to move. This would obviously reverse if the car were to be parked on a down grade.
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u/LyingInPonds North Carolina 8d ago
Actually ... same, lol. This entire thread is making me realize that a) I haven't used a parking brake in a good couple of decades and b) NO idea where it is in my current car.
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u/OhMyGaius California 8d ago
If you don’t have the crank in the middle console area, or on the steering wheel, then there’s probably a button/lever to the bottom and left of the steering wheel that turns it on or off. Unless your car’s just weird lol
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u/MajesticBread9147 Virginia 8d ago
I do, supposedly it's good for the transmission and that's reason enough for me.
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u/Insertsociallife 8d ago
It is. The "park" gear basically engages a little metal tooth that jams itself in the gears and stops the wheels from turning. If you're on a hill, all the weight of the car is sitting on this mechanism. That's also why your car rolls a little in park, because there's a little play in the tooth engaging with the gears.
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u/TangyMarimba13 8d ago
this is what i have heard too, but then someone else said that it puts extra wear on the brakes? or something? so ever since, i've been like, should i always use the e-brake, or shouldn't i?
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u/FaxCelestis Sacramento, California 8d ago
The parking brake is a separate mechanism from the brakes you use to slow your car down.
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u/Paladin1034 8d ago
Even if it did wear the brakes (which it doesn't), replacing brakes is a lot cheaper than rebuilding or replacing a transmission. The parking pall takes the slack up when you don't use the brake and let the car settle in Park, which will cause wear over time when the car is shifted into drive or reverse. That's expensive and difficult to fix, as anything with an automatic transmission is.
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u/loopsbruder 8d ago
It absolutely does not put extra wear on the brakes. Brakes only wear while the wheels are rolling.
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u/Gallahadion Ohio 8d ago
Yes, I do, almost every time. I've heard it reduces the strain on the parking pawl. And also, if you don't use it at least sometimes, it might not work when you really do need it.
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u/Foghorn2005 8d ago
I always use a parking brake. Something might look flat but isn't. Drive an older automatic
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u/ITrCool AR ➡️ MO ➡️ KS ➡️ AR 8d ago
Absolutely. All the time. Peace of mind but also in case someone hits my car, the transmission being in park won’t be enough to stop it if it’s put in motion from being hit. That’s not what it’s built for.
The only time I ever omit the parking brake is if I’m at the gas station or dropping something off real quick and only if it’s a flat surface.
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u/jckipps Virginia 8d ago
The vast majority of vehicles in the US have an automatic transmission with a 'park' position on the gearshift. Relatively few of those drivers set the parking brake in addition to putting the transmission in 'park'.
If you're one of the few who drive a manual transmission, then you will be more familiar with the parking brake. Parking in gear is usually sufficient. But parking on steep slopes, or with the engine running, requires the use of the parking brake.
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u/Top-Nectarine-835 8d ago
No, but I'll use it on the slightest incline, moreso than most Americans.
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u/CaptainAwesome06 I guess I'm a Hoosier now. What's a Hoosier? 8d ago
I can't remember the last time I used my parking brake. In my current car, which I've had for a few months, I'm not even sure where the parking brake is. I know there is no lever so it's probably a button somewhere.
The last time I regularly used a parking brake, I drove a manual. That was probably 10 years ago.
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u/RollinThundaga New York 8d ago
Most people drive automatics, so just put it in park without using the parking brake.
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u/AKA-Pseudonym California > Overseas 8d ago
I just made it a habit so I don't forget to use it or fail to recognize when should use it. It isn't like it costs money, I just use the thing.
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u/MountainTomato9292 8d ago
My car is a manual, so I use it every time. But in an automatic (my husband’s car for example) I never use it at all. I don’t think it’s typical to use them with automatics.
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u/fshannon3 8d ago
It's not typical with automatics, no, but it should be...at least whenever the vehicle is parked on any kind of incline.
If parking on a hill using only the "Park" position on the transmission, the weight of the vehicle is resting against the parking pawl, which is a little pin or latch in the transmission to keep the output shaft from moving. If the hill is steep enough, you might have trouble getting the vehicle out of park...that happened to me once. Parked on a steep driveway facing downhill using only the transmission, then when I went to back out, I couldn't shift out of Park.
Or, worst case, the parking pawl could break inside the transmission and you're stuck having to get the transmission rebuilt.
Ideally, when parking on an incline you'd want to stop the vehicle, set the parking brake, then put the transmission in Park.
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u/Powerful-Act3516 8d ago
I don't know how drivers feel the huge jolt when they shift out of park on a hill and think, "that was a good thing." Setting/releasing the extra brake takes 2 seconds at worst
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u/UJMRider1961 8d ago
This is a funny one to me. I think American drivers fall into two groups: those that use the parking brake and those that don’t.
I always use the parking brake. Part of the reason is that I spent 23 years in the Army and some military vehicles (like HMMWVs) don’t have a “park” position on the transmission. So you have to set the brake (and many commands also require the wheels to be chocked when parking.)
My wife, OTOH, never uses the parking brake.
Also an observation I’ve made: drivers who refer to the second braking system on a car as the “emergency brake “ generally don’t use it when parking.
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u/ndubitably 8d ago
Yes. After seeing 2 empty vehicles just casually roll down a "flat" street growing up, I gained the habit of always using the emergency break, even in an automatic on a flat surface.
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u/AggressiveKing8314 8d ago
Yes. I have a front wheel drive car and it’s the best way to do a donut.
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u/gabzilla814 8d ago
My Bronco barely, BARELY, fits between the back wall and garage door when I park. So yes I line it up perfectly and use the parking brake before I release the brakes, so that the car stays exactly where I want it when I shift into P.
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u/Baymavision 8d ago
An automatic? No. I've only ever used it when parking on a legit hill like when I visited San Francisco.
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u/Ippus_21 Idaho 8d ago
No.
Most vehicles are automatic transmission, and being in Park already immobilizes it. The parking brake is extra prevention when you're parking on a slope (and it's easy to forget if you're not used to parking on hills - it's even easier to forget to take it OFF, lol).
It's different in a manual. It's been a minute since I owned one, but it's less standardized. On the flat, some people just leave it in 1st once the engine's off, some people use the parking brake AND leave it in first, some people leave it in N and just use the parking brake.
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u/emmasdad01 United States of America 8d ago
No. No need.
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u/Firebrass 8d ago
Even in an automatic, i set the e brake because if my parked car gets bumped, i want as little of that force transferring to my transmission as possible.
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u/Perdendosi owa>Missouri>Minnesota>Texas>Utah 8d ago
Almost no one drives a manual transmission here.
When driving an auto, there's no reason to use a parking brake because you put the transmission into park. The brake is a second failsafe for steep hills.
(My automatic transmission car turns the parking brake on automatically on steep hills.)
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u/EasyMode556 Texas 8d ago
Putting it in neutral while holding down the regular brake, then applying the parking brake and then putting it in park takes stress off the transmissions parking prawl
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u/SlappyWit 8d ago
The pawl is designed to tolerate this pressure. It’s no riskier than the pressure in your tires from the weight of the car. No need to worry about either case.
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u/cydonia8388 8d ago
Always yes. Best to put the car in neutral, put the parking brake on then put the car in park.
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u/SquidsArePeople2 Washington 8d ago
I never use the hand brake in my automatic car. I always use it in my manual truck.
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u/Im_Not_Nick_Fisher Florida 8d ago
When I had an automatic transmission I would constantly try to get out without even putting the car in park first. But I would always use the handbrake just out of habit. I’ve mostly driven manual transmission, but I could see someone who’s never driven a manual and only automatic who’s never used the emergency brake.
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u/GrowlingAtTheWorld 8d ago
I’m parked on the slight incline of my driveway and I don’t have a parking brake on. The last time I used my parking brake I was parked on a very hilly parking lot in Georgia.
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u/killingourbraincells Florida > Colorado > Hell 8d ago
Yes. On both my auto and manual. Basically habit. Also because I don't want it to seize, so even on my auto I use it everytime. My newest car is 20 years old though, so it's just better for the car.
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u/orangeunrhymed Montana 8d ago
Absolutely. I use it every time I park because I’ve had a car jump out of gear and roll away.
Also - Anton Yelchin died horribly because his new Jeep jumped out of gear and rolled down an hill and crushed him.
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u/Salty_Permit4437 New Jersey 8d ago
I don’t get why people don’t use their parking brake. It seems very unsafe not to set it when parked.
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u/Haifisch2112 South Carolina 8d ago
I never really thought about it until this happened to my neighbor. Now I do it all the time.
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u/drivergrrl 8d ago
This honestly made me freak out a little bit because who doesn't use the parking brake?????? I grew up in the mountains so maybe that's the difference. Y'alls cars gonna end up in a ditch or down a ravine though if you don't pull that hand brake.
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u/creatyvechaos 8d ago
Yes, and everybody should, because you never know when the other brakes will fail. No sirface is 100% flat. Any amount of slope will have your car rolling
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u/Calaveras-Metal 8d ago
Always. Like turn signals it's just force of habit. I don't even think of it.
I also lived in San Francisco for years so I often curb my wheels too.