What To Do If Your Car Brakes Fail When Driving

Brake failure is one of the common and most dangerous mechanical breakdowns that can happen to your car. At Tow Tempe, we tow away hundreds of cars every year that suffer from brake failure.
When you lose control of your brakes, it is important that you keep your head and not panic. Here are some ways you can slow down your car and get safely off the road. Tow Tempe can then provide you with essential roadside assistance.
Remain CalmAlthough your first response will be to panic if your brake fails while you are driving at full speed, you need to keep your head if you want to keep yourself and those around you safe from an accident. Just take a deep breath, remain aware of the traffic around you, and try to gain as much control of your car as you can while you try to get it safely off the road.
Don’t Turn off Your CarIt is important that you do not turn off your car even though it may seem like a good idea to slow it down quickly. The abrupt stop can disable or lock your steering wheel causing your car to skid or flip if it is moving too fast. This will cause you to have less control of your car.
Make sure the engine keeps running until you have fully stopped. Keeping on your car will also allow you to bring it safely to the side of the road.
Turning on the Hazard LightsTurn on your flashers to make other drivers understand that you are experiencing a car emergency, particularly at night. If there are other cars around you, blare your horn to warn them away from your car.
Slowly DownshiftingIf you have a manual transmission car, you need to downshift your car one gear at a time during a brake failure. Do not downshift your car too fast as it can cause it to skid. If you have an automatic car, simply removing your foot from the accelerator will cause the gear downshifting. In addition, some automatic cars also have paddle shifters on the steering wheels that can help them downshift.
Trying the Brakes AgainTry to apply a steady and firm pressure on your brake pedals to check if you can get at least half the dual brakes to work and slow down the car. Sometimes, only one half of the brakes fail. However, be careful when pressing on the brake, and do not jam your foot down on the brake pedal too hard.
Using the Emergency BrakeEmergency brakes will not stop your car completely — they take longer than regular brakes to stop your car. However, they are of enormous help when your regular brakes have broken down and can slow down your car so that you can have better control of it as you try to take it off the road.
Calling for Emergency Roadside AssistanceOnce your car is in a place where it will not interrupt everyday road traffic and has come to a full stop, you should call out the emergency roadside assistance team at Tow Tempe. We offer affordable, efficient, and quick aid to people who have been stranded on the road.
 Reach out to us today by calling at 4804281921.