I’m mostly thinking about a scenario where you are going down a highway (say, at 120kmh for the sake of the example) and suddenly your brakes fail
could shifting to Reverse function as a brake in that situation?
edit: thank you all for the answers, I want to note that I myself don’t drive and did not consider doing this, I was just wondering if this was possible
have a lovely day o/
In: 11
No, you probably can’t and definitely shouldn’t.
For automatic transmissions, almost any modern car would not allow it. (Shifting is done electronically).
For manual transmission, it would likely be very difficult to do. Going forward at 120kph, it would almost certainly destroy the clutch and gearbox if it happened. The shock will almost certainly lock the driven wheel (front or rear) and cause the car to go into an uncontrolled spin.
It would be far safer to downshift, try the emergency brakes, and use nearby terrain (guardrails or soft verges) to try to slow the vehicle down. Maintaining good car control and not panicking is the best way to manage the situation.
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