Electronic Handbrakes Under Fire

Make sure your handbrake can operate manually

Many vehicle manufacturers now include 'space age' technology in their vehicles in an effort to improve road safety

ABS, self activating windscreen wipers, engine management systems and air bags are just a few examples

One of the latest additions to a long line of improvements is the automatic handbrake. Automatic handbrakes do exactly as you'd expect . . . when the vehicle is stationary, the handbrake is applied without the driver having to think about it

One of the real problems with new safety devices is that they may actually take away the attention and concentration of the driver. What can happen, many argue, is that by adding more and more automatic devices the driver can become lazy and complacent. They actually become more likely to be in an accident because they concentrate less on driving and road safety

In an effort to reduce the risk, the DSA have announced that any vehicle used for a test with an electonic handbrake must be capable of being operated as a conventional ratchet style mechanical handbrake

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The DSA say:

"One of the skills tested on a driving test (with vehicles fitted with a
manual gearbox) is co-ordinating the parking brake (handbrake) with the
clutch and accelerator when moving off. A number of vehicles are now
being fitted with an electronically operated handbrake. Some of these
are able to be manually overridden and operate as a conventional
ratchet type handbrake.

Vehicles fitted with these electronic devices that are presented for
test must be capable of being manually overridden and operated as a
conventional handbrake"

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