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Brake release
Setting the parking brake in my rental
car was easy. You just step down on the
parking brake foot pedal.
However, trying to release the parking brake
was a different story. I first tried to pull
the control just above the parking brake pedal
(see lower arrow), but instead of releasing
the brake, the hood was released. The actual
brake release control was located far above
the parking brake pedal (see upper arrow.)
Why did I make this mistake? I think it was because I, as well as most people, expect related controls to be near one another. The proximity of the hood release control (lower arrow) to the parking brake foot pedal as well as their similar color made them appear to be related. Although there were pictorial labels on the hood release and parking brake release controls, they were small and hard to see while seated in the driver's seat.
Design suggestions
- Put the parking brake release next to the parking brake pedal and make them the same color.
- Move the hood release away from the parking brake pedal.
- Make the labels on the hood release and the parking brake pedal release easier to read while seated in the driver's seat.
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Copyright © Michael J. Darnell 1996-2010. All rights reserved.
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