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Greg Utas wrote: Assuming the hand brake controls a cable, it could eventually fail from overuse
You set the handbrake after every drive, and it stays set until the next drive. Given that most of us spend most of our time out of the car, I doubt the handbrake will fail because of a few extra pulls.
Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make four. If that is granted, all else follows.
-- 6079 Smith W.
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The foot-controlled parking brake on our vehicle failed several years ago. Mind you, it's 13 years old.
Edit: Quite possibly explained by its entire lifetime having been spent in places where roads are salted during winter.
modified 22-Sep-20 7:50am.
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Something over half a century ago, my father's car had one of those "pull the handle under the dash" handbrakes. One day I grabbed it hard, the cable parted and I smashed my elbow into the door pillar. Many naughty words...
Software rusts. Simon Stephenson, ca 1994. So does this signature. me, 2012
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About 5 or 10 years ago, I pulled up at the testing station for my MOT* pulled on the handbrake ... and the cable snapped. Also many naughty words ...
* MOT is the compulsory annual vehicle check in the UK for all vehicles over three years old to ensure roadworthiness. It used to check you had tread on your tires, the lights worked, and your brakes were capable of stopping you - but it's been expanded to the point where you can fail for having a missing dust cap on your spare tire, or a dashboard light that doesn't come on or go off at the right time.
"I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony
"Common sense is so rare these days, it should be classified as a super power" - Random T-shirt
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That sort of wearing doesn't happen overnight. How often did you (or the garage mechanics) check the cables to ensure that they weren't worn?
Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make four. If that is granted, all else follows.
-- 6079 Smith W.
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Me? Never - I don't fit under the car or have a lift / inspection pit.
Mechanics? In theory, twice a year - once for the MOT test, and once when it's serviced.
But ... it can be next to impossible to see corrosion if it's inside the outer Bowden cable cover - only the two exposed ends are "inspectable" without desoldering the nipple.
"I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony
"Common sense is so rare these days, it should be classified as a super power" - Random T-shirt
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Quote: desoldering the nipple.
Sounds painful!
- I would love to change the world, but they won’t give me the source code.
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Cars should be serviced on a regular basis. If you have your car serviced at a proper garage, they will check the brakes and other safety equipment, and replace anything that looks like it is failing. This may be expensive in money, but the lives of my family are more than worth it!
Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make four. If that is granted, all else follows.
-- 6079 Smith W.
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OTOH a lot of people don't use their handbrake, ever - especially those who drive an automatic transmission. The risk here is that unless it's regularly used, the handbrake cable will be seized/severely rusted, and it just might snap when you do try to use it. Or it'll stay applied when you try to take it off.
My dad worked as a mechanic for over 4 decades, and his advice on that topic is, if you never use it, don't start out of the blue--for the reason stated above.
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Don't you always set the hand brake when parking your car? In many countries, it's required by law, and it's always a good idea - especially if parking on a slope.
Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make four. If that is granted, all else follows.
-- 6079 Smith W.
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Whether I do it or not isn't relevant to the matter at hand. I'm just repeating what a guy who fixed cars for decades for a living had seen countless times.
[Edit]
Apparently not in this country (I'm in Canada)--or else there's a lot of lawbreakers. Besides, how do you enforce that?
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That's what you are supposed to do, unless you are born with three legs! 
In the uk, it's a requirement as set out in the Highway Code:
In stationary queues of traffic, drivers should apply the parking brake and, once the following
traffic has stopped, take their foot off the footbrake to deactivate the vehicle brake lights. This
will minimise glare to road users behind until the traffic moves again.
Law RVLR reg 27
"I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony
"Common sense is so rare these days, it should be classified as a super power" - Random T-shirt
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It's no wonder that so many former British colonies are cursed with bureaucracy.
Minimizing glare to road users behind a stopped line of vehicles? What could be more important?
If you have an automatic, what are you supposed to do? Put it in neutral and do this? I'd venture it was written before anyone had an automatic and hasn't been revised.
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Put it in "Park", apply the parking brake, and take your foot off the brake pedal.
"I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony
"Common sense is so rare these days, it should be classified as a super power" - Random T-shirt
AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!
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They want the parking brake on even though it's in "Park"?
At least it'll present anyone who rear-ends you with a nice repair bill.
But you're trolling me, right? Right??
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Not even slightly. Unless an auto is in Park it's effectively in neutral, and can roll back to hit the car behind. Since you are supposed to use your right foot to work the brake and throttle, you need the handbrake on to pull away.
Don't blame me, a lot of serious grey men in serious grey suits nibbled biscuits and sipped tea really quietly for weeks while discussing (in committee of course) every nuance of those rules ...
"I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony
"Common sense is so rare these days, it should be classified as a super power" - Random T-shirt
AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!
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A former colleague, from a former colony, first got his driving license in the UK. To turn a corner, he was taught to push and pull on the steering wheel.
When he came to Canada and took his driver's test, he failed because of this. On this side of the pond, you're taught to turn using the hand-over-hand method.
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OriginalGriff wrote: Unless an auto is in Park it's effectively in neutral, and can roll back to hit the car behind.
Not in a Tesla. By default, when you press the brake until/when the vehicle is stopped, it stays in "Hold" mode until you depress either the brake or accelerator. [This is an option that can be configured away, but this is the default behaviour.]
I'm retired. There's a nap for that...
- Harvey
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Wow, there are coding guidelines for traffic? 
I just skimmed over the start of it, and already stumbled over some curiosity (IMHO) among the pedestrian guidelines:
Quote: 2. If there is no pavement, keep to the right-hand side of the road so that you can see
oncoming traffic. You should take extra care and
- be prepared to walk in single file, especially on narrow roads or in poor light
- keep close to the side of the road.
It may be safer to cross the road well before a sharp right-hand bend so that oncoming
traffic has a better chance of seeing you. Cross back after the bend.
Does anyone actually do that? I mean, walking on the right side of the road (in a country where cars drive on the left side) makes total sense. But then, crossing to the left side and continuing along the long side of the curve when you encounter a right bend If anything, I'd do the opposite: cross over to the left sight upon encountering a left-hand bend, to cut a corner!
GOTOs are a bit like wire coat hangers: they tend to breed in the darkness, such that where there once were few, eventually there are many, and the program's architecture collapses beneath them. (Fran Poretto)
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Stefan_Lang wrote: Does anyone actually do that?
Nah, of course not. Pedestrians seem to assume that drivers are blessed with X-Ray vision - and usually choose to wear dark clothing on the unlit country lanes with no pavement.
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OriginalGriff wrote: In stationary queues of traffic, drivers should apply the parking brake and, once the following
traffic has stopped, take their foot off the footbrake to deactivate the vehicle brake lights. This
will minimise glare to road users behind until the traffic moves again.
Law RVLR reg 27
Wow, Did not know it was supposed to be like this?
cheers,
Super
------------------------------------------
Too much of good is bad,mix some evil in it
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super wrote: Did not know it was supposed to be like this?
It's not, but it is.
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If that blew your mind, wait until I tell you you're supposed to turn your fog lights off when cars are behind you too.
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In Germany I got stopped by the police because I hadn't turned off my fog lights once I got out of the fog.
- I would love to change the world, but they won’t give me the source code.
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That's indeed a law in Germany, but only the back fog light, because it's so bright. More precisely, you are only allowed to switch it (i. e. the back fog light) on when you can't see past 50m.
The front fog lights may be switched on any time.
And it does make sense - I don't know about cars in other countries, but in germany, the back fog light is so bright, it's worse than a car coming your way with high-beam head lamps pointing your way! You pretty much have to avert your gaze, or else you'll see nothing else on the road.
GOTOs are a bit like wire coat hangers: they tend to breed in the darkness, such that where there once were few, eventually there are many, and the program's architecture collapses beneath them. (Fran Poretto)
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