Current Events > When you park your car, do you apply the handbrake?

(+) Yeah! (+)

I swear, every time one of my employees takes one of my delivery cars on a run, they always park it in neutral and with the handbrake on.

I vehemently remember being taught during driver's ed to NOT do that, especially during the winter months because your handbrake will freeze or something. They taught me to leave it in first gear and just turn the engine off. That way, your car still won't be rolling anywhere.

in the Harvard Yard?

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No.

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I have literally never heard of this. Driver's training here teaches, for both auto and manual, that you should engage the handbrake when parking.

Although it doesn't get nearly as cold here, even in the worst of cases, as it does in some parts of the US / Europe, so perhaps that's the difference.

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Well my car is an automatic, so it's different from your examples. But yes, I put my emergency brake on, then I put the car in park. Every time, even when the street is flat/level.

I figure it's better to use it and not need it, than to need it and not use it.

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Also drive an automatic. I seem to be the only one in my circle of friends/family that actually and consistently applies the parking brake whenever parked. Figure that's what it's for and I'd rather not leave it all up to the transmission.

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I use it if I'm on an incline. Otherwise I put it in park.

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I always use the handbrake when I park

Yeah I use the e brake, automatic. Why not? It's just another layer of protection.

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i always apply the parking brake when i park. i leave it in 1st, too.

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yep, auto e brake

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Nope, i just put it into park. I'm not sure i've ever used the emergency brake.

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Not supposed to use it on flat surfaces

Okay, I did some Googling and if you have an electronic parking brake, it can't really go wrong. But a manual parking brake that requires pulling the lever can apparently get stuck if you leave it parked like that for too long. Maybe that (and the frost thing) is why they told me to just put it in first gear instead.

ever since one of my daycare teachers had her call roll out of the parking lot, down a hill, and across a street, I knew that the "park" gear was never foolproof.

Serious Cat posted...

I use it if I'm on an incline. Otherwise I put it in park.

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If I am parking on a hill I'll use it assuming the hill is semisteep. If it is a mild slope like a driveway I won't use it.

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Yes, even though it hasn't worked for about fifteen years.

i've never used the parking brake before.

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Yep, leave the parking brake on, leave it in first gear

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CornPop posted...

No.

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My car is a manual so yes

I dont have a handbrake. Just a foot brake and a foot emergency brake.

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Serious Cat posted...

I use it if I'm on an incline. Otherwise I put it in park.

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I can't take my keys out of the wheel if it's not in park

Stick shift

I apply e brake +1st gear

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PMarth2002 posted...

Nope, i just put it into park. I'm not sure i've ever used the emergency brake.

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Every time

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The only inclines in Houston are the highway onramps.

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Pretty much exclusively only use the parking brake when I'm in SF
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Only when parked on a steep incline/decline. Besides that, never.

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AFAIK my hand brake doesn't even work so no lol

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Always. I'll apply the handbrake first, then shift into park.

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I have a manual transmission and I just park it in 1st gear as well. I only use the emergency break if Im parking on a hill/incline or sitting in the car idling for awhile (during which I will put it in neutral so I dont have to push on the clutch the whole time Im sitting there)

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