Brake Failure Scenario

Brake failure is very uncommon on legal MOT’d cars on the road today as they are all fitted with a dual circuit brake system. Failure such as fluid leakage on one corner will not affect all the other wheels braking. If one circuit – one front and one rear wheel or just the front wheels are compromised fails, braking is still available via the other circuit.

However, if you are driving along and you are a victim of brake failure, put your hazards on to show other drivers you have a problem with the car and the erratic driving is not just bad driving! Hopefully other drivers will try and avoid you and they will not be hit by your vehicle. Do not turn off the engine, the steering lock can engage and you would lose steering control. You will also need the engine running to attempt slowing the car by engine braking.

Keep your thumbs on the outside of the steering wheel – if your thumbs are caught in the steering wheel if it spins around, you could lose a thumb!

On a manual geared car, try shifting down the gears to slow the car. On an automatic, you can try shifting down the gears from Drive to a 3,2 or 1 selector position (if available), but there is no guarantee the gearbox will slow the car – it’s worth a try.

Depending on the type of road you are travelling on, you can attempt different methods to stop you. On a motorway or dual lane ‘A’ road, the direction of traffic flow is your friend, you wont have any oncoming obstacles. The only aids available that could give friction to the car would be the crash barriers. If these are only evident on the central reservation then try dragging the car along them to reduce the speed and halt the car. If barriers are visible on or near the hard shoulder or inner slow lane, the goal would be move across safely to that side and use the barriers for friction. Look out for extra problems such as someone up ahead having stopped on the hard shoulder. It’s all a matter of visibility and quick thinking and making the best decision. Try not to panic.

If the brake failure occurs whilst driving on a single lane ‘A’ or ‘B’ road, then friction and soft obstacles can be your friend. Create friction in the tyres, steer the car to zigzag down the hill to reduce the speed. Foliage and shrubbery can be used to slow the car. Be aware if driving up a grass bank if you cannot see what’s up ahead or over the other side – there could be a cliff or river!

If there is a crash barrier, drag the side of the car along it to slow down and maybe stop. If your car has airbags and there are small trees – you do not want trees that do not move, you could aim for those, but be aware you will be relying on the airbags deploying and the effectiveness and structure of the vehicles cockpit to protect you. It’s not a great scenario to be in and you have to think quickly.

(Disclaimer: This narrative comes with no guarantees and is advice for the reader to decide to take onboard or not. It has been written with inspiration from professional advisories on this subject)