What action should be taken if your brakes fail?
- Wave down the nearest police officer and shout for help
- Pump the brakes rapidly and shift into a lower gear ✓
- Use your emergency brake and sound your horn to warn other drivers while looking for a soft collision point
- Firmly press down on your brakes until they re-engage
Answer: B. Pump the brakes rapidly and shift into a lower gear
Pump the brakes rapidly and shift into a lower gear.
Why this is the answer
The handbook's brake-failure section says to try pumping the brake pedal to temporarily restore hydraulic pressure. That directly supports the pumping action. It does not mention downshifting as a brake-failure step; its lower-gear advice is for long, steep downhill grades. If pumping does not work, the handbook says to apply the parking brake gently but firmly while holding the release button. So pumping is the first action it gives, with the parking brake as the next step.
Why the other answers are wrong
- A. Wave down the nearest police officer and shout for help — Waving down a police officer and shouting is not a braking technique, and the handbook does not describe it as a response to brake failure.
- C. Use your emergency brake and sound your horn to warn other drivers while looking for a soft collision point — The handbook does mention the parking brake after pumping fails, but it does not tell you to sound the horn or look for a soft collision point.
- D. Firmly press down on your brakes until they re-engage — The handbook says to pump the pedal, not to hold it firmly down until the brakes re-engage.
Remember it
Think pump first, then ease on the parking brake while holding its release button.