“Watch what happens when I pull it up and hold it.”
Drivers who experience intrusive thoughts have probably wondered what happens when you pull the parking brake at high speeds. One man decided to find out for himself.
Jason (@chrisasanchez4) recently filmed himself pulling the electronic parking brake while driving.
“Have you ever wondered what happens if you pull the electronic parking brake while you are on the highway?” he begins.
While this sounds like the kind of stunt that will at best end with tires squealing and at worst with a crash, Jason is trained to handle these situations. He’s a Honda expert and product trainer. The purpose of his demonstration is not to risk his life and destroy a Honda, but to reveal how much more advanced and safer today’s electronic parking brakes are compared to traditional ones.
So what happens if you pull one at highway speeds?
“If you pull up on the electronic parking brake and let it go, it’ll just make a noise. It won’t do anything,” he says.
Jason then asks what you should do if the brakes go out entirely and you need to use it as an emergency brake.
“Watch what happens when I pull it up and hold it at highway speeds” Jason says.
While driving at a highway speed, Jason pulls up and holds the parking brake and the vehicle safely comes to a complete stop.
“The brakes on all four wheels were applied using the VSA system,” he explains, adding, “Even at highway speed that’s gonna quickly and safely bring you to a complete stop.”(VSA is an acronym for vehicle safety assist.)
Jason notes that traditional braking only uses two rear wheel brakes to stop the car. He explains that this can lead to the car to slide, skid, and careen out of control. He believes electronic parking brakes that have VSA systems are a safer option.
Not so long ago, it would be strange if you didn’t see a traditional handbrake at the center console. However, times are changing and modern cars are swifting towards electric handbrakes. More and more vehicles are ditching the manual handbrake in favor of the electric handbrakes.
According to Truck Sales, parking brakes’ main job is as a backup if hydraulic brakes fail. When you use the handbrake, lever tensions create pressure via a cable. This pressure is applied to the rear brake pads which causes the vehicle to stop.
Essentially, both electronic and traditional do the same job, but the electric handbrake is widely considered to be more user friendly, Chorley Group notes. Using a traditional handbrake requires physical force because it’s mechanical. With an electric handbrake, you just press a button and the brakes activate.
In addition to improved ease of use, removing the mechanical handbrake creates more space in the cabin.
However, one design flaw some find with electronic handbrakes is how small the button is. Many drivers are used to seeing the mechanical handbrake and naturally will reach down to pull it as this design was the standard for so long. This can cause a potentially dangerous delay in reaction time.
On the other hand, one major disadvantage of traditional handbrakes is that when the handbrake is engaged, the driver may lose control of the vehicle, AutoDeal reports. Drivers must be able to properly modulate a traditional handbrake and not simply yank it. Panicking and yanking the lever up can cause the rear wheels to lock, leading you to losing control.
The steel cables that enable a traditional handbrake can also require replacement over time.
It’s also true that electronic handbrakes rarely fail.
For these reasons, newer electronic handbrakes are considered superior, per AutoDeal.
Many viewers were curious to know what would happen if they engaged the parking brake at a highway speed.
“Thank you for showing me what would happen if I listened to that specific intrusive thought,” one person wrote.
“Omg when I tell you I have this exact thought everyday,” another said.
A third confessed, “I never had the balls to try it.”
Others appreciated Jason for showing them what really happens if you pull the electronic parking brake while driving that fast.
“Thanks for teaching me something about my car. Not going to try it though unless I need it,” said one.
“I just hope I will never ever need to use that one,” one wrote.
But at least one person wasn’t ready to let go of the nostalgia of using a traditional handbrake to drift around the parking lot.
They lamented, “Gone are the ol’ days when I could e-brake slide my 91 Prelude around a corner in high school.”
Motor1 has contacted Jason via email and TikTok direct message. This post will be updated if he responds.
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