3 Automotive-Related Buttons That We Must All Know About

This article was originally in BM.

To every motorist out there, you probably have seen these buttons before but never took much heed, much less known what they were for. But these are three buttons that, touch wood, could mean the difference between life and death:

1. The Petrol Pump Emergency Stop

Have you ever notice this big red button on the petrol pump? With the words “EMERGENCY STOP” emblazoned above it? The press of this button immediately cuts off the flow of fuel through the nozzle. When would you ever need to use it? Well, if you left the nozzle unattended while refilling and the sensor fails and fuel overflows or when motorists have forgotten to remove the nozzle from the tank (it has happened) and simply drove off, tearing the hose off with it. There are plenty of fail-safe features built into the petrol pump, but one must always be prepared to hit the stop button especially when dealing with highly flammable substances like PETROL.

2. The Shift Lock Button

Drivers (especially of cars with an auto transmission) might not have noticed a button labelled “shift lock” near the gear shifter. This is a safety feature for the driver if ever they find themself in a situation whereby they have to shift the gear away from P while the engine is dead.

Well, in Malaysia, it is most often used when double-parking, to allow other motorists to push your car out of the way if it is blocking another that wants to exit. Not that we condone double parking, but here’s how you do it: make sure your car is on a level road; shift the gear into P, engage the handbrake and kill the engine; step on the brake pedal while pressing the “shift lock” button, then move the gear into N; lastly, disengage pedal and handbrakes…oh, don’t forget to leave a note.

3. The HELP Button in Parking Areas

The HELP button found on every other column in the parking area was not so common in Malaysia until a few years ago. This writer noticed it first appearing after the tragic case of Canny Ong, who was abducted at the underground parking of an upmarket shopping centre in Malaysia (she was later raped and murdered). That shopping centre was the first to install HELP buttons in the parking area and other places eventually followed.

Take note of their locations the next time you are walking to or from your car. If you ever think/feel (trust your guts) that your safety is threatened, do not hesitate to hit the button and security personnel should be alerted and come to your assistance.