Think H.I.T.

There have been several rollaway incidents over the past few months, all of which could have resulted in serious injury and/or damage.

Most of these incidents have occurred because drivers have failed to leave their vehicle in gear when parking.

Every year many road traffic collisions are handbrake-related. These include instances where the handbrake had not been applied, not fully applied or was reported as being faulty. 

Applying your handbrake correctly is crucial to keeping yourselves, and others, safe on the road. Not applying your handbrake correctly can have very serious consequences. 

It is a legal requirement to apply the handbrake before leaving your vehicle. Drivers could place themselves at risk of prosecution of a serious motoring offence and/or disciplinary action if they fail to comply with the following three controls to fully secure their vehicles.

• ALWAYS apply the handbrake firmly – do not press the button when applying the handbrake
• ALWAYS leave the vehicle in a low gear – use first gear if facing uphill or on level ground, and use reverse if facing downhill
• ALWAYS turn the wheels – if a kerb is present turn away from it when facing uphill, and towards it if facing downhill. If there is no kerb, turn towards the point of least danger (usually the side of the road).

THINK H.I.T. – Handbrake on, In gear, Turn wheels

The handbrake is the main control to secure your vehicle when parked, but if this fails, the other two controls will usually prevent any serious consequences.

THINK – what do you want your vehicle to do if the handbrake fails? Observations and accident investigations show that drivers generally do apply the handbrake but do not leave their vehicle in gear or turn the wheels. When a driver makes an error applying the handbrake or the handbrake fails, the vehicle is then free to roll away.

The Highway Code refers to hills, but vehicles do not need to be on a hill to roll away. A slight incline or even simply an uneven road surface can be enough to start a vehicle moving. It is important that these controls are ALWAYS applied, even on level ground.

If you suspect your vehicle handbrake is faulty, the vehicle must be taken out of service and booked into your Fleet workshop immediately. Do not ignore it; by doing so you could be putting your own and others' safety at risk.

Do not chase after a vehicle if it is rolling away and never try to physically stop a rolling vehicle.