Brake Lights

As this is something that has long bothered me, I'm surprised I haven't done one of my fantastically whiny blogs about this before. Why in the world do people find it necessary to ride their brakes? Do they not realize that it is bad for their cars? Perhaps not. So, if you are one of these people that feels the need to constantly have your foot on the very large pedal in the middle, let me explain to you why this is not good for you or your car.

According to Wikipedia:
"Warping is often caused by excessive heat. When the disc's friction area is at a substantially higher temperature than the inner portion (hat) the thermal expansion of the friction area is greater than the inner portion and warping occurs...Primary causes of overheating include undersized or overmachined brake discs, excessive braking (racing, descending hills/mountains), 'riding' the brakes, or a 'stuck' brake pad (pad touches disc at all times)."

"Riding the brakes lightly will generate a great amount of heat with little braking effect and should be avoided."

Autoeducation.com offers this tidbit:
"Avoid 'riding' your brakes. It's better to slow down with moderate pressure and then releasing the brake to cool, than riding the brakes and overheating them."

It's especially bad to ride your brakes when going down a steep incline because it can cause them to overheat and even go out, this is the reason that while you're in the mountains you see the runaway truck ramps. So, what are the reasons that Brake Riding is bad for not only your car but you as well? I'll give you two VERY good reasons...
1. If your brakes go out you may die.
2. People are more likely to rear end you when you keep your foot on the brake.

So just to recap:
Not only is it extremely annoying to the people that have the misfortune of being stuck behind you but it is a serious risk to your car and yourself if you insist on riding your brakes. So next time you go to put your foot on that pedal, seriously consider if it is necessary. Ah, but you thought I was going to leave without explaining to you a remedy for this problem...tsk tsk...I would never do such a thing.

If you feel the sudden need to slow your car down there are numerous ways to do so without applying your brakes. I will name two (it just seems right since I've already given a list of two).
1. Remove your foot from the gas. It's amazing how gravity works.
2. Downshift. Most cars have the ability to shift into 1st and 2nd even if they aren't a manual. This comes in handy when you're driving down a mountain side or hill.

Okay so you're probably thinking to yourself well what if the car in front of me is braking? Well then my friend it is perfectly acceptable to brake yourself. It becomes a nuisance when you're driving down the highway and instead of slowing by removing your foot you slow by stamping the brake. So, learn to love your brakes for what they are... a stopping device.
Thank you and have a nice day :-)