system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: How do hand brakes work on automobiles? Do they use the same mechanism as normal brakes?
gpt
They typically operate the rear brakes mechanically as opposed to hydraulically. This is why they have been and continue to be called "emergency brakes" by some people, in theory they should still engage the rear brakes without brake pressure. There is an actual cable going to the rear brakes as well as a brake line full of brake fluid. This varies vehicle to vehicle of course.