With the innovative designs and safety features of most modern vehicles, sudden brake failure is nowhere near as big of a threat as it once was as a frequent driver. However, there could occasionally be circumstances when your brakes fail you completely without warning, and this can be one of the scariest situations to experience as a driver. Much like with other mechanical issues, there are things you can do in this dangerous situation to give you a better chance at staying safe. Here are three important things every driver must know during sudden brake failure. 

Let drivers around you know something is wrong. 

The scariest part about having no brakes while driving is seeing all the other cars and drivers around you that you may not be able to avoid hitting if they are in your path. For this reason, it is your immediate priority to let other drivers know that something is wrong in the best way you can. Blow your horn repeatedly, turn on your emergency flashers, and even blink your headlights if you have to in order to alert every driver around you.

Shift your car into a lower gear to slow your vehicle down. 

Even with an automatic transmission, you have lower gear options that you can use to manually slow the speed of tire rotation. These gears, which are usually used to control climb and descent during incline changes to better engine capability and traction control, can be a lifesaver if your brakes fail on an open highway or if you are heading down a steep incline. Continue to shift into lower gears until your car is moving as slow as possible and pull over to the shoulder of the road or exit the area as safely as possible. 

Steer into a curb or toward the shoulder of the road if there is one available.

It is much better to hit a curb and damage your vehicle than to steer your car into oncoming traffic and create the potential for a multiple car catastrophe, which would be dangerous for you and other drivers. If you are barreling down the highway and see that you are going to hit the car ahead of you because your brakes have failed, steer toward the curb or shoulder of the road if you can.  

There is no question that sudden brake failure can be terrifying, but if you stay calm and follow these general rules, you should be able to make it to safety. To ensure your brakes are in good working order, make sure you have them checked out regularly by a professional brake repair service such as Alaskan Auto Center Inc.

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