Do you use it when parking?
Always.
Yup, it's how I was trained by my dad.
It also seems to be "Best Practice."
My truck is 21 years old. Every time.
I have dreams where my truck rolls backwards into traffic when I am not in it.
Let's go Duke!
Other. Only in San Francisco.
Other. Always in my manual sports car. Only on a slope in my automatic truck.
Always.
Also lock my car even if I’m just getting out to get the mail and getting right back in, or pumping gas (this is a great idea now, since there is something new called “sliders” who sneak into an unlocked cars at gas stations while the owner is pumping gas).
And on an even more OCD level, I give turn signals, even when I’m pulling out of my driveway.
p.s. My sister-in-law once ran over herself. She was backing out of her driveway and saw a neighbors toy behind her car. She got out of the car with it idling, still in reverse, without the emergency brake on. As she was bending over to move the toy, her car began moving and hit her. Fortunately, no major injuries other than a bruised ego. I shall refrain from saying what color hair she has.
Sliders sneaking into unlocked cars is not exactly new, trust me. On another front, proper etiquette for a car wreaking of sliders would be a thorough saturation of said vehicle with Lysol. With regard to your sister-in-law, too bad she didn't have to file a claim with her insurance company (nothing serious of course, say to pay for the toy). That might have been fun to read.
The University of North Carolina
Where CHEATING is a Way of Life
I voted never because my Tacoma and my IS350 are both automatics. Last year when I still had my S2000, a stick shift, my answer would have been different. I've mostly owned manual cars in my life and always used the parking break with those cars. With my automatics, it's pretty much never.
If it’s best practice, why isn’t this just built in automatically? Slide it into park and emergency brake engages.
Why wouldn't you use your emergency brake to park? these kids have it down to an artform!
in places where there's lot of snow and salt on the roads, it's not unusual for parking brakes to seize up...hence I don't use it with an automatic (but always with a manual).
Turning the wheel so the front tire is against the curb works pretty well, too.
Other. Only when driving a stick. If automatic, never use it.
I rarely use the emergency brake on flat ground. If there is any sort of a slope at all, I will use it.
Always (because I drive a stick). When I drove an automatic? Almost never (only the steepest of hills).
Speaking of emergency brakes, am I the only one who despises the pedal brakes that are “press to engage/press to disengage” type?
If one has a failure of main brakes, it will be difficult to have a controlled stop using these things.
On a slope and/or in a dicey neighborhood.
Nothing incites bodily violence quicker than a Duke fan turning in your direction and saying 'scoreboard.'