Hi,

 

I have just had the horrible experience of someone knocking on my door telling me that my car has rolled down the road into another car.... :(

 

I thought that my wife may have forgotten to put the handbrake on or fully engage it but when I got into the car I couldn't pull it up anymore. When I reversed away from the car I decided to check the brakes. The footbrake was fine and the handbrake held. 

 

A neighbour witnessed my wife parking and also was the one that heard the collision and confirms that there was a good 45 minutes between the two which suggests to me that my wife obviously did engage it, but it's strange that it now works?!

 

I'm not great with the technical side of cars so if anyone has any ideas on what's going on it would be great!

 

Thanks

 

Dan 

Perhaps a cable snapped while under tension or the tyres started to slide on the ice/snow, sometimes the heat from the engine, brakes, tyres can take a wee while to melt the road covering, not forgetting the weather anyway and that's when the slide begins.

 

In any case always leave it in gear or Park if an automatic and turn the steering into the kerb in the downhill direction.

 

This should make it clearer:

http://www.highwaycode.info/rule/252

 

Edited 5 March, 20188 yr by MicMac

Thanks for the reply Micmac.

 

No ice today so it was nothing to do with the weather. If a cable snapped I wouldn't have thought I wouldn't have been able to reapply it? 

If one side snapped it would reduce the tension on the opposite side.

 

When you apply the handbrake you should notice it feels different if one side is inop.

 

Before you get the tools out try the handbrake at slow speed and check for skid marks on both sides.