Is your parking brake just there for emergencies? Nope. And that little "P" on the automatic transmission isn't a substitute for using it.

Today we're putting the parking brake myth to bed and explaining why use your parking brake every time you park is an important part of proper vehicle operation. We look at what actually holds the vehicle when it's in Park, why you don't want the entire weight of the vehicle -whether you're parked uphill or downhill-and how using the parking brake properly helps transfer that load where it belongs.

There's another important piece to this : the rear brakes> On many vehicles, regularly applying the parking brake helps keep the rear parking - brake mechanism operating properly. Neglect it long enough and you can end up with rear brake components that aren't doing t ...