Could have been worse

[darkshark]

Well Yesterday I was running late for school, so I grab my essentials and head out the door. I park my car near the back of the parking lot because the front looked pretty full, and I figured I'd waste more time looking for a spot, rather than parking further back. So I grab my laptop and books and head for my next class at a much quickened pace, and ended up getting there 30 seconds before class started.

About halfway though the class period, my cell phone starts going off. Over and over people are calling me, and of course I simply silence the ringer and call them back when I get a break. Then I get a text message from my dad, I grabbed my belongings, stood up and walked out of the classroom, no explanation given. I damn near sprint out to the parking lot, where I find several police officers parked in their cars with their lights blazing.

After walking past the officers, I realize my car isn't where I had parked it. and is actually about 50 yards away, halfway stuck on an island in a sectioned off part of the lot. Apparently what had happened, is that in my flurry to make it to class on time, I'd forgotten to put on my emergency brake, and my car had rolled backwards through the parking lot, in between 2 rows of cars (which was just barely enough room for the car to get by mind you) and eventually smashed into the island that it was stuck on, no real damage was done aside from a ding on the rear bumper.

So after getting a lecture from the police for a good 15 minutes, I got inside the car, started it up.......and noticed my parking brake was on......

None of the officers had been inside of the car at any given time, it was locked the entire time, I tested the E brake multiple times after the incident and it works perfectly fine, I am not mechanically proficient, but does anyone else find this to be strange? Is there some malfunction that could have caused this, if albeit temporarily? I have no idea, maybe some of you have a better understanding of the matter than I do.

[mmeegghhaann]

Re: Could have been worse

That sounds like a really bad morning. Maybe you were sabotaged by someone who hates you.

[JasonKey]

Re: Could have been worse

if that brake isn't solid, it can seem to be on, but still roll on a steep incline.

for that matter, I can push a car with the break on .. but I am a big boy

No telling .. perhaps just a fluke and something didn't set right. Make sure its in gear AND with the parking break, that will basically stop any of the above issues

[SethSquall]

Re: Could have been worse

My old cars handbrake needed to be pulled right the way up or the car would tell me the brakes where on but the car would still roll. Could be that.

[nforcer06164]

Re: Could have been worse

I've accidentally driven with my emergency brake on before, several times. I still use it when I'm on inclines (which is quite often, mind you), but I don't know if it has any effect anymore. Maybe if you accidentally drive around with it on, it wears down and stops working efficiently?

[GuidoHunter]

Re: Could have been worse

None of the officers had been inside of the car at any given time, it was locked the entire time, I tested the E brake multiple times after the incident and it works perfectly fine, I am not mechanically proficient, but does anyone else find this to be strange? Is there some malfunction that could have caused this, if albeit temporarily? I have no idea, maybe some of you have a better understanding of the matter than I do.

Not strange at all.

Two weeks after I turned sixteen and I got my car, I drove to my friend's house. I parked on the street in front of his house which was a downward-sloping hill. I set my emergency brake and pulled the car out of gear so that I could mess with the windows, the radio, and whatever else without having to hold the clutch in.

I was just supposed to run in for a couple of minutes and come back out, but it turned out to be about a forty-five minute trip, and when I came out of the front door I said, "Dude, where's my car?"

Turns out it had slowly rolled (the E brake was still on, but it was still out of gear) down the hill, over the curb when the road made a right turn, and down into a tree-filled ravine where the left side of my car scraped alongside one tree and the right front bumper struck another one which stopped its momentum.

Mega damage to the car, and I'd only had it for two weeks.

Moral of the story: You know in Driver's Ed when they tell you to always turn your wheels a certain way whenever you part on a street? Yeah, they mean that, and that's what would have saved me thousands of dollars in body work.

To recap:

Parked uphill with a curb: turn your wheels toward the street so that they hit the curb if your car moves.
Parked uphill without a curb: turn your wheels away from the street so that you roll out of the way of traffic.
Parked downhill with a curb: turn your wheels away from the street so that the curb stops your movement.
Parked downhill without a curb: turn your wheels away from the street so that you move out of the way of traffic.

--Guido

http://andy.mikee385.com

[rsr2]

Re: Could have been worse

Wow reading this wants me to go and get my licence.

(Don't ask i never have enough to get my licence or a permit and i am 16!)

[stretchypanda]

Re: Could have been worse

Moral of the story: You know in Driver's Ed when they tell you to always turn your wheels a certain way whenever you part on a street? Yeah, they mean that, and that's what would have saved me thousands of dollars in body work.

Body work you opted not to get?

[GuidoHunter]

Re: Could have been worse

No, I had most of the body work done. The door just wasn't bad enough for us to care about it.

--Guido

http://andy.mikee385.com

[nforcer06164]

Re: Could have been worse

That's one thing I still don't do, Andy. I'll be sure to keep it in mind next time I'm on a slope (likely within the next few days).

[darkshark]

Re: Could have been worse

This was a PARKING LOT, there was no steep inclines at all

[nforcer06164]

Re: Could have been worse

Well, then maybe a group of pranksters decided to push your car. I mean, if there wasn't that much damage, two or three people could put enough force for a steady speed that could produce a ding. Oh, and if you forgot to put the E brake on, maybe you forgot to lock the car? It's a possibility, no?

[UberMario]

Re: Could have been worse

Yeah, like Jason said,

if that brake isn't solid, it can seem to be on, but still roll on a steep incline.

for that matter, I can push a car with the break on .. but I am a big boy

No telling .. perhaps just a fluke and something didn't set right. Make sure its in gear AND with the parking break, that will basically stop any of the above issues

One person can push a car if he tries hard enough; a group can probably get it going pretty good, and if you didn't leave it in gear it would be a lot easier than if it was in gear.

And like Seth said, if you don't pull the brake all the way up, it won't has as much effect as if it is all the way up. Same goes if you don't bring the E-brake all the way down, it will (usually) still have traction.

Also, nforcer, that's very dangerous. If your brakes are wearing down so that they can't slow you down enough, you might as well replace them. Using the emergency brake will wear it down quite a bit and quickly since that brake isn't supposed to be (generally) used in motion unless in an emergency. The thing is, there isn't the anti-locking system in an emergency brake. So if it makes the wheels stop completely and you keep sliding, it won't unlock until you realize it's like that and take off the emergency brake.