I grew up driving brakeless vehicles. I hauled oil rigs where the trucks had to depend on downshifting to stop, as when loaded the brakes simply did nothing. I drove a company pickup once where only the left front brake worked. Step on the brakes too hard and that wheel would grab and spin the truck around.
Where I am going with this, is what I’ve learned. That is to always drive like the brakes might fail. When approaching an intersection, start slowing down way before the actual need. On icy roads, where I know the brakes won’t work, I look ways to avoid a rear end collision, such as steering off the road. It’s called defensive driving.
One of my pet peeves is watching a car approach an intersection where they have to stop, and do not slow down or apply brakes until they absolutely have to. Younger people are most apt to do this. Whenever I see this happening, even if I have the right of way, I take my foot off the gas and put it on the brake pedal to decrease reaction time if they do not stop.
Two days ago I had a green light, yet a young man looked right at me, pulled his hood up, looked away from me and walked right out into the traffic. Being alert, I stopped for him. He had a very defiant look on his face, as he was one of those raised during the obama years to think of themselves as victims of racial hatred. I think this guy was willing to get hit just to prove his brainwashing to be true.
I’m 64 and one of those guys that brakes at the last minute. My wife commented on me making people nervous at intersections. And then I noticed just a few months ago that people often inch forward at an intersection when I come up behind them. It wasn’t until then I realized that I am probably scaring the crap out of people that think I’m not going to stop.
I’ve owned 34 cars in my lifetime and I’ve never had a brake failure over well over a million miles - until this chevy truck. And some vehicles were decades old when I traded them in or junked them.
I was on the phone with the chevy dealer when I started typing. They are going to replace my lines for only $770 labor. It pays to live in small town America.
I’m driving the truck to the dealership on Saturday,11 miles away, with NO brakes. I’ll try to get the emergency brake working...
Fortunately I’m in a rural area and can time the intersections, and the traffic is very light.