What to do when your brakes fail

Brake failure is a rare occurrence, and while it might just seem like a nightmare-inducing dream for many drivers, it is possible.

In fact, one of the main causes of failing brakes is owner neglect. Brakes, just like other parts of our cars, have limited lifespans and should be inspected by drivers regularly for general wear. However, Dick Lovett’s new research shows that a large number of British drivers aren’t doing their due diligence when it comes to doing safety checks on their vehicle's brakes. 

Our survey of 1,000 British drivers reveals that 3 in 10 (30%) drivers don’t perform safety checks on their car’s brakes. That’s the equivalent of over 12.4 MILLION* drivers. 

What’s more, when it comes to the specifics of checking things like brake pads, brake discs, and brake fluid, even more drivers are cutting corners, with over a third (35%) of drivers admitting to not checking the specifics. 

To help drivers remain safe and prepared for all potential brake malfunctions, our team has pulled together the steps drivers should take if their brakes fail, alongside tips on how often drivers should perform brake safety checks. Check them out below: 

2. Come off the accelerator and check for any obstructions 

While this might go without saying, it’s important to come off the accelerator completely. When your brakes fail, your goal is to slow down and get out of the way of other traffic as quickly and safely as possible. 

If the road is clear and you have enough time, it’s important to check underneath your brake pedal for any obstructions. Car floor mats can wedge behind the brake pedal, meaning you can’t press it down fully.

3. Engage your hazard lights 

When your car is malfunctioning, it’s vital to turn on your hazard lights and signal to other drivers that something is wrong with your vehicle. You can also signal your horn to notify other drivers. 

While doing this might not allow other drivers to fully understand that your brakes have failed, it will let them know that there’s a problem, so they can make the necessary manoeuvres that you’re not able to make to avoid collisions and road traffic accidents. 

4. Downshift your gears…slowly 

It’s important to remember that if your brakes fail, you should not shift to neutral. Instead, you’ll want to downshift through the gears normally. This is known as ‘engine braking’, and it’s important to do this slowly as suddenly going from a high gear, like sixth, right down to first will cause a whole host of other mechanical issues. 

In fact, drivers might want to consider using engine braking in non-emergencies too, as it can help to reduce wear on your vehicle’s braking system as it isn't using the friction of your brake pads and discs. 

While drivers of manual cars should hopefully be able to stop their vehicles using gear braking, there’s still the question of what to do if brakes fail in an automatic car. 

Our previous tip about off the accelerator is particularly important for drivers with automatic vehicles, as coming off the accelerator should automatically cause your car to shift to lower gears. Similarly, newer automatic vehicles will have paddle shifters (usually located on the wheel) that allow drivers to manually change the gear the car is in.

5. Try the handbrake

Once you’ve begun engine braking, you’ll want to try your car's handbrake. You can think of it as your ‘emergency brake’. 

It can slow your car because it works separately from your car’s regular hydraulic brakes. 

If your normal brakes fail, to help your car slow down while downshifting through the gears, you can slowly pull up on the handbrake to come to a complete stop. 

If you have a newer vehicle, the parking brake might be engaged using a button, in which case you won’t be able to gradually brake using this option. It’s important to read your operating manual to know exactly how to emergency brake for your vehicle. 

6. Don’t turn off your car

It might seem logical to turn off the car to disengage the engine from pushing the car forward, but you should avoid doing this if your brakes fail. 

Turning off your ignition will typically shut down your power steering, which means your car will be more difficult to turn or even lock the steering wheel into place. Depending on where your brakes have failed, this could potentially be lethal. 

7. Steer yourself to safety

As your vehicle slows, it’s crucial to steer yourself to the safety at the side of the road, or up an incline slip road. 

It’s much safer to stop at the side than in the middle of the road for the sake of yourself and other drivers. 

8. Use crash barriers (if all other brake options fail) 

If your brakes fail while you’re driving on a motorway or bypass, it may be necessary for you to use the crash barriers to avoid colliding with another car. You can scrape the side of your car along these to slow down. 

While it’s unlikely that one of the methods above won’t help to slow your vehicle, it’s useful to have this in your mind as a last resort to bring your vehicle to a halt.

How often should you have your brakes checked? 

There’s no two ways about it, the braking system is one of the most important elements of your car to keep on top of.

However, our research found that more than a third (35%) of drivers don’t perform checks on their car’s brake fluid, discs, or pads. 

So, how often should you perform safety checks on your brakes, and how often should you have your brakes checked by a professional? 

While most modern, new cars will be fitted with sensors to let you know when something isn’t quite right or needs to be replaced in your brake system, drivers must perform their own safety checks. As a good rule of thumb, you should give your brakes a thorough safety check at least once a year. 

In the colder, wetter seasons, you may want to check your brakes more frequently to ensure your car has optimum braking power on wet or icy road surfaces. 

It’s important to check the brake fluid is at the right level and doesn’t have any water contamination. Once water gets into the fluid, it means it can freeze in cold temperatures. And the wet, cold weather heightens the chance of rust on brake discs. 

While your brakes will be checked during your annual MOT, it’ll only be a basic performance test and a check brake pad wear to ensure thickness is at least 1.5mm. 

This is why we recommend getting an annual service to ensure that a proper brake inspection and cleaning can be carried out by a professional.

Methodology

*According to 2023 DfT figures that there are 41,570,822 people in the UK with full driving licences. 

Statistics from a Dick Lovett survey of 1,000 British drivers (aged 18+) between 21st and 24th Oct 2024 conducted by 3Gem.