One of the most terrifying experiences driving on any of the roads across San Diego is if your brakes go out. Even with regular maintenance, problems can happen where your brakes go out and you have little to no control over being able to slow down your car.

Reading the Signs if Your Brakes Fail  

First of all, it’s important to understand whether or not you have regular brakes or anti-lock brakes on your vehicle. If a logo lights up every time you put your keys into the ignition stating ABS, then you have anti-lock brakes but if this does not appear on your dashboard then you have regular breaks.

Preventing an Accident if Your Brakes Fail

There are three different things that are recommended that you do if you experience you brakes going out while you are driving the vehicle. The first thing you can do is down shift to a lower gear. If you have regular brakes, however, you would want to pump the brake peddle as hard as possible and quickly in order to build up the pressure with the brake fluid. If you have done this for three or four pumps and have not achieved success, then step three is to initiate the parking brake if you need to stop immediately.

If your brakes fail and you do apply the parking brake while the vehicle is moving, you should be prepared for your car to skid. In the event that none of the brakes work when you have attempted all of these methods, shift the car’s gear into a lower gear and steer the vehicle in a safe direction by taking your foot off the gas and allow the car to roll to a complete stop.

Avoid turning the steering wheel too much but do make sure you stay out of the way of any obstacles like other vehicles. If you are currently traveling at highway speeds when you realize that the brakes are no longer working, you may need to scrape your car against any dividers or guard rails in order to slow the vehicle down. If you have to do this, rub the car as gently as possible against the divider.

If you wish to warn other drivers that you are currently experiencing a problem, you can turn on your emergency lights or honk your horn in order to indicate problems. If you do notice that your brakes have gone out, you can help avoid a San Diego car accident by pumping your brakes while initiating these steps and getting off the road.