Road safety: what to do if your car brake no longer works

Although we have the technical control and up-to-date revision of our car, unforeseen events can occur at any time, even when we are behind the wheel.

One of these dangerous situations can be a malfunction of the car brakes while driving, which puts the driver's life in great danger.

SOLOSAR presents some tips that could save your life in this situation.

• Do not be nervous. The worst thing you can do is lose control of the vehicle.
  

• Stop accelerating and keep your eyes on the road.
• Warn other drivers by activating the hazard warning lights or even honking your horn as long as it does not pose a greater risk to do so.
  

• Try to apply the brake repeatedly and intensely to increase the pressure in the brake system in the event of a pump failure.
• If the fault persists, try to hold the vehicle using the engine brake, i.e., by downshifting. It will also help to stop the car sooner if you put light but steady pressure on the handbrake, as long as it is manual.
• From the moment you notice that the brakes are failing, you should look for a way out of the road, look for an emergency braking zone (normally for heavy vehicles) or approach the shoulder so as not to disturb the circulation.

Two things NOT to do:

• Do not pull the handbrake sharply and at high speed. You will make the vehicle unstable and risk locking the rear wheels.
  

• Do not turn off the engine for the purpose of breaking itself: the power steering will stop working, the steering will stiffen and cornering will be more difficult, which could lead to a collision.

If, despite this advice, your car goes off the road, the guardrails will be there to protect you and absorb the kinetic energy released.

SOLOSAR is a major player in road safety equipment and offers innovative solutions to develop the roads of tomorrow. Would you like to know more about our solutions? You can find them in our SOLOSTEEL range here: https://www.solosar.fr/en/solosteel