Questions: Technology & Internet

I had a friend in my car the other day, and when we reached our destination, I set the parking brake, as I always do. My friend literally asked what it was, and when I explained, he was confused.

So it became a topic of conversation amongst my other friends, and I was amazed that none of them ever used it. Maybe it's because I grew up driving manual transmissions, but even in an automatic, I always use it.

If you don't know what I'm talking about, the parking brake/hand brake is a device in your vehicle that engages the brake, or a lock, on your wheels, which prevents the wheels from turning, independently of placing that vehicle in park.

The "P" on your gearshift is a separate device that engages a prawl on the transmission, to prevent it from engaging. While this does prevent the car from rolling, this prawl can get worn out, or even break, especially if used on hills, as it is subject to a greater amount of pressure, due to the weight of the vehicle.

I'm just curious if anyone else routinely uses their parking brake, as is recommended, or if I'm really the only one.