Pressing button when pulling handbrake?

Padraig Mor

Have just noticed in another thread someone saying that you should press the button in on your handbrake when pulling it up. I have heard this before (and, indeed, my driving instructor told me to do so) with the warning that you will be faulted on your test if you don't press the button.

All well and good.....until I got a Focus recently. The manual specifically states that the button should *not* be pressed in when raising the lever. So what's the story? Why is not pressing the button meant to be 'bad'? And will you get faulted on the test for it? If so, can they actually do this seeing as you are only doing what the manual says?

seamus

The only thing I can think of is that not pressing the button could, over time, wear down the locking mechanism, causing it to eventually fail.

Maybe Ford specify not to press the button so that you don't accidentally release the button incorrectly after pulling the handbrake, causing it to not engage properly. At least if you can hear it clicking, you know how far up it's going.

For the record, I'm pretty sure I never pushed in the button on my test (I don't recall ever pushing in the button to lift the handle), and I passed, so....

Tobias Greeshman

Yah my first driving instructor told me to press the button and not let the ratchet mechanism be heard. Dunno if it'll piss off a tester, but the instructor didn't get me pass my test. Didnt like him anyway, he never swore and came across as a complete fu$king bore!

Good point regarding the mechanism failing, although I used to work in a garage and I can easily say Ive never heard of one failing, ever! So in that respect its complete crap!

woosaysdan

i never press the button when lifting the handbrake anymore!!! my dad a driving instructor and he told me not to press the button

Seth Brundle

In reality, what is the tester going to say? "Im sorry but I heard the handbrake click - you have failed!"
Also my current and previous car both required between 5 and 8 clicks which means that you need to hear it & therefore not press the button.

Silvera

I always press the button when engaging the handbrake - just better to do it that way.
Having said that I doubt it would make any difference if you didn't during a driving test.

I have come across a few handbrake rachet failures - but it was years ago (i.e early 1980's cars).

seamus

Silvera wrote:

I have come across a few handbrake rachet failures - but it was years ago (i.e early 1980's cars).

Well now it makes sense. Our test was designed in the 70s. Plenty of ratchet failures back then

Stephen

Passed my test a couple of weeks ago and never pressed the button when pulling the handbrake, no faults for it (all of mine were observation faults)

a_ominous

RoADA might explain this.

unkel

What button? I ain't got any

Will I fail my test now?

Interceptor

unkel wrote:

What button? I ain't got any

Will I fail my test now?

Yeah, you and your Uber-wagen both fail, now hand over the keys and go home in my Fiat.

'c

Seth Brundle

unkel wrote:

What button? I ain't got any

Will I fail my test now?

Yes but at least you can still drive home from the test center!

unkel

Interceptor wrote:

Yeah, you and your Uber-wagen both fail, now hand over the keys and go home in my Fiat.

*me cries like a child that had his toy taken from him*

kbannon wrote:

Yes but at least you can still drive home from the test center!

Oh - don't say that now. It's coming up in about 5 months

vector

I always "push the button" otherwise you sound like twat or a hacnkey driver (who would drive a white 95 jap import corolla)

stratos

I do remember an instructor telling me to press the button, however it's possible you won't get the hanbrake into the top notch doing this. The handle may bounce back down a click before you let go of the button. Many vehicles don't have traditional style handbrakes it's not just mercs.My Hiace had a merc type handbrake. Oh how that vehicle wanted to return to the Earth, it disolved back into the ground in front of my very eyes. I came out one Wedensday to find a brown smudge on the driveway, and a running engine on it's side. However I digress.

AMurphy

Padraig Mor wrote:

.....(and, indeed, my driving instructor told me to do so) with the warning that you will be faulted on your test if you don't press the button.

All well and good.....until I got a Focus recently. The manual specifically states that the button should *not* be pressed in when raising the lever. ....

So what do we do when there is no button?.

There were and probably still are "atuomatic" hand brakes. you pull the handle up and push it down again to lock, then up and down again to unlock.

Same for the foot "park-brake" on USA market Japanese cars and vans. bit like the clicker on the top of your Biro.

I cannot see how pusing the button will save it from any amount of wear. Dropping the button on the way down (release would).
Come to think of it I pretty much only use the brake when parked/stopped and while I might rest my thumb on the button, I'm not pressing it, so if applying the brake several times a day without pressing the buttong for the last 10+ years has not broken it, either it does not damage or good quality.
A pin fell out in the VW, but the ratchet was OK, so it worked agian when are-assembled.


I figure the testers that request as frustrated old tight fart prima donas' and find this and any semblance of normality irritating.
Probably insist the carpet is cleaner then their shoes and seat free of dog hairs and body odors. least their mommies give then a clip behind the ear when they get home at 6:01 precicely.

I remember the car I did my test in (million years ago) did have a ratcheting hand brake handle... but no brake. I used it at every occasion, but it was a dance of footbrake and clutch gave the effect it was working.... or else the guy figured it out and did not care.

Ratchet

stratos wrote:

........ it's possible you won't get the hanbrake into the top notch doing this. .........................

exactly,you will know al about it when the car rolls down. Ratchet design will not wear that quick, it was made for it.

i always pull the hand brake without pressing the button and only makes 3 clicks .

the only time i do press that button is when doing handbrake turns

Wasted

Recieved a grade 2 for not pressing button on Driving test I think they find it irritating.(Improper use of handbrake)

Wheelnut

Pressing the button will make no difference, but pressing the footbrake will. You should always keep the footbrake pressed when applying the handbrake, that will make it easier to pull and you can be sure that it's fully on.

Johnny Storm

Years ago a driving instructor advised my wife not to make an "aggressive" noise with the hand brake cos the tester might not like it. Make of that what you will...

AMurphy

So what will be next on the list of irritating noises which will cause you to fail.
Loud indicator clickers?
worn CV joints, bearings?
Squeeking dash noises, steering wheel, etc.
Loose spare tyre....?

Crossley

Not pressing the button displays a lack of 'mechanical sympathy' if nothing else

Seth Brundle

Crossley wrote:

Not pressing the button displays a lack of 'mechanical sympathy' if nothing else

I think mechanical damage was ruled out earlier in the thread.

AMurphy

Crossley wrote:

Not pressing the button displays a lack of 'mechanical sympathy' if nothing else

Hey, if you want "Mechanical Sympathy" pull the lever so the ratchet makes nice ratcheting tunes, and repeat in harmony with the bass of the rapper in the kitted out Civic in the next lane, something like you used to to with a peg in the spokes of your Triang Trike as a child.

On steep hill tram lines there is a certain comforting music generated by the safety ratchet.... if it was not there, you could be going downhill fast.

So rather than stifling the music, we should be celebrating it's reasssuring presence. Join the movement, it's called "The Renaissance Ratcheting Reprobates" (TM).

comanche

Wasted wrote:

Recieved a grade 2 for not pressing button on Driving test I think they find it irritating.(Improper use of handbrake)

how do you know it was for not pressing the button (did not think there is a check box for this) - If the check box was 'improper use of handbrake' prob means for using it when stopped in traffic on the flat when all you need is your footbrake. it impedes progress. I think that this is where this myth has started from. Don't know how you could get marked for not pressing the button - what difference does it make!

Personally I tend to press the button in slightly so that it doesn't click but I can feel how many clicks its gone up..

Alun

comanche wrote:

If the check box was 'improper use of handbrake' prob means for using it when stopped in traffic on the flat when all you need is your footbrake. it impedes progress.

Say what???

So a queue of cars at a traffic light on a wet rainy night, all with their footbrakes on and their high-level brake lights glaring at the driver behind them is considered good practice now, is it?

And how exactly does putting your handbrake on in this situation 'impede progress'? I suppose if you wait until the car in front of you actually moves off before you even move a finger then it could add a second onto the time taken to get going, but if, like 'normal' drivers you think ahead (oh dear, what am I saying there!?) and get into gear and are ready to move off the moment the car in front of you does, then there's no delay at all.

comanche

Alun wrote:

Say what???

So a queue of cars at a traffic light on a wet rainy night, all with their footbrakes on and their high-level brake lights glaring at the driver behind them is considered good practice now, is it?

And how exactly does putting your handbrake on in this situation 'impede progress'? I suppose if you wait until the car in front of you actually moves off before you even move a finger then it could add a second onto the time taken to get going, but if, like 'normal' drivers you think ahead (oh dear, what am I saying there!?) and get into gear and are ready to move off the moment the car in front of you does, then there's no delay at all.

Someone get out of bed on the wrong side of bed this morning. Would you like to tell me why you need a handbrake on the flat? This I really want to hear.

It is good practise to sit in a quque of traffic with your brake lights on. It gives drivers behind you and extra visual clue that you are stopped (apart from the obvious - but as you are talking about rain, this is esp important in poor visability). Would personally prefer to glare someone out of it that get whip lash coz someone isn't quiet on the ball!

Crossley

comanche wrote:

Would you like to tell me why you need a handbrake on the flat? This I really want to hear.

This is basic, first driving lesson stuff. It's a good idea to use the handbrake to secure the car when you stop for more than a moment. This helps to prevent the car from being shunted forward if hit from behind. And no your foot on the footbrake will not prevent you being shunted forward as your foot will in all likelihood come off the pedal in the impact. In addition as Alun has stated needlessly dazzling your fellow road users is not a good idea either.

mackerski

comanche wrote:

Would you like to tell me why you need a handbrake on the flat? This I really want to hear.

Quick version: because it'll pass you your test, should you still need to. (And I can't see how you would have passed without using the handbrake when stopped in traffic).

Longer version: Because it's safer in the event of a shunt from the rear (all the more so if you happen to have been sitting in 1st gear). And because proper moving-off practice expects you to drop the handbrake immediately at the point that you let in the clutch.

Dermot

Alun

comanche wrote:

Someone get out of bed on the wrong side of bed this morning. Would you like to tell me why you need a handbrake on the flat? This I really want to hear.

No need ... the other two posters have done it for me! Thanks, guys

comanche

just quickly

1. putting on your handbrake does not help to prevent you from getting shunted from behind.

2. putting on your handbrake does not prevent you from being pushed into the car infront or out into traffic at a t-juction (esp with cars which only have disk brakes on the front). I also doubt that foot brake will stop it also but would prefer to take my chances with it!

3. As far as the driving test goes - it is far simpler to move off brake onto accellerator while checking mirrors and moving off, esp if turning left or tight as it is just one extra thing for a driver to do.

using the handbrake on the car on the flat as far as I am concered is incorrect in most cases. the hand brake is simply to stop the car from rolling and that about it.

seamus

mackerski wrote:

Quick version: because it'll pass you your test, should you still need to. (And I can't see how you would have passed without using the handbrake when stopped in traffic).

Yes and no. In traffic, it's considered good practice to apply the handbrake, and then release it (or be prepared to release it) when you see the rest of the traffic moving off. If you're on the flat, and at the front of the queue, it's considered good practice to not use your handbrake, so as to avoid delays when taking off.

It's more a matter of judgement. If there's a small queue at the lights, and they go green as you approach the queue, good practice would be to not stop at all, rather control approach speed so you have no need to stop.

I can remember not using my handbrake on the test in such situations.

seamus

comanche wrote:

1. putting on your handbrake does not help to prevent you from getting shunted from behind.

No, but the logic behind is that some people may release their footbrake with the shock of getting shunted, and therefore will be pushed into the car in front. The odds of it are long, but that's it.

comanche

seamus wrote:

Yes and no. In traffic, it's considered good practice to apply the handbrake, and then release it (or be prepared to release it) when you see the rest of the traffic moving off. If you're on the flat, and at the front of the queue, it's considered good practice to not use your handbrake, so as to avoid delays when taking off.

It's more a matter of judgement. If there's a small queue at the lights, and they go green as you approach the queue, good practice would be to not stop at all, rather control approach speed so you have no need to stop.

I can remember not using my handbrake on the test in such situations.

*phew* thanks for that - was almost beginning to think that I was the only person around that didn't use the handbrake everytime they stopped!

seamus

comanche wrote:

*phew* thanks for that - was almost beginning to think that I was the only person around that didn't use the handbrake everytime they stopped!

Well, I'm pretty sure everyone else here doesn't either, they're just telling you what *should* be done. While I'd be perfectly aware of what should be done when I drove a car, it was rare that I'd bother putting the handbrake on.

mackerski

seamus wrote:

Well, I'm pretty sure everyone else here doesn't either, they're just telling you what *should* be done.

I always use the handbrake when driving with manual transmission. I don't see how this would delay me when first in a line of traffic. My speedup tactic for this case is to stay in first gear - but doing this makes it doubly important to have the handbrake on.

My own car is automatic, and I have to say that I am not in the handbrake habit in automatic cars, though some people do consider it good practice. My excuse is that the first automatics I drove didn't have handbrakes. I don't think I'd be keen to sit in Drive with only the handbrake on anyway, even though I know that brake lights aren't nice to look at.

See also: http://www.driving-school.com.au/faq.asp

Dermot

Seth Brundle

Just on a side note, if you have braked hard (really hard!) and then stop with your foot on the brakes, it is possible for your discs to warp as the area covered by the pads is cooling at a different rate to the rest of the disc.
Hence (assuming you have rear discs & not drums!), you are better off using the handbrake!

AMurphy

comanche wrote:

*phew* thanks for that - was almost beginning to think that I was the only person around that didn't use the handbrake everytime they stopped!

I don't most of the time. unless I'm also stopping the engine, or on a slope or a long light. Now, I do not let it in gear, foot on clutch & ideling.
As for being shunted from behind. If at low speed, nothing will happen. If at high speed, it does not matter, HB on or off won't amount to a hill of beans.
the rear (braked) wheels will be lifted off the ground and have little or no traction anyway. The typical HB does not have much holding power, apply it, and try driving at the same time, the wheels will turn in most cars.
You could try keeping a little larger gap between you and whatever is in front. However I have found ROI drivers in general will stop right on your rear bumper, so any nudge and the car behind in on top of you, HB or none.

Actually, there may be a good point to using the footbrake and having your rear lights ablaze when stopped. (odd, I have never noticed it as a problem or annoyance here. However, stuck on brake or rear fogs while driving on the highway I have)
Have you ever encountered the situation where the following car "assumes" you are moving and drives into you.
So lets say we have someone sitting at the lights, HB on. lighting a pipe, tuning the radio, whatever distraction occurs and the light goes from red to green, the equally absentminded follower does not know that you are asleep at the wheel and pulls off into the back of you.
had your brake lights been on, they would have known you were still stopped.... and if they didnt, they should have... your lights were on.

As for the testers passing judgement on whether you use you HB inappropriately or not, that's one thing, on whether you click or do not click you HB or your nails is totally another and has no bearing on anything, any more than a spotless vs "driven in" car or the type of car, style of hair & clothes, personal habits, etc.

If the latter is found to be true, it should be reported as inappropriate, unless it can be seen as interfering with driving, like putting on make-up, shaving, changing clothes, etc.

seamus

mackerski wrote:

I always use the handbrake when driving with manual transmission. I don't see how this would delay me when first in a line of traffic.

Well, it *can*, obviously that's not the rule. If you're sitting there with your hand on the handbrake, ready to go, there shouldn't be an issue, but if like most drivers I see on the road, you're looking around, whistling to yourself and tapping out rhythyms on your steering wheel, you're going to lose 2-3 seconds in taking off than if you just had your foot on the brake.

Maybe the logic behind it doesn't assume that all drivers would be as observant and ready as yourself, perhaps more that if you're not changing gear or braking, then your hands would be on the steering wheel. Perhaps, who knows?

In general terms, I would say it's safe to assume that a driver with a handbrake on the lights will, in general, take longer to take off.

AMurphy

seamus wrote:

......
In general terms, I would say it's safe to assume that a driver with a handbrake on the lights will, in general, take longer to take off.

I'll agree with that.