The brakes stop the car. The foot brake and the parking brake are both connected to the wheels. Most cars have brakes on all four wheels, though the parking brake usually connects to the rear wheels. There are two kinds of brakes, drum brakes and disc brakes.

Both use friction, the force that slows down moving objects. Drum brakes stop the car by pushing a friction "shoe" hard against the rim of the wheel drum to stop the wheel from turning. Disc brakes apply friction against both sides of a flat disc that is attached to the turning axle.

Most brakes work by hydraulic pressure. Stepping on the foot brake forces liquid through the brake lines to press the brakes hard against the wheels and stop them from turning.

If the car has power brakes, stopping is even easier, because the brake fluid is pushed by power from the engine when you step on the brake pedal. The parking brake is connected to the brakes on the wheels by a steel wire. it works mechanically as a separate brake system. Its main job is to prevent the car from rolling when it is parked.

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