The images from bucolic Cornwall make it appear that as Britain braces for another round of summer heat waves, a car decided to beat the heat by going swimming.
Sadly for the owner of the Ford Focus that ended up underwater on Tuesday, there was nothing so playful taking place.
But this time, it was not driver error, but the joys of technology that led to a dripping wet vehicle.
The car was parked at Whiteacres Holiday Park in Newquay, “was” being the operative word.
The driver set the electronic handbrake, which is increasingly more common in newer cars, as noted by the Daily Mail.
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But some time after the handbrake was set, the car went rolling off in search of adventure or whatever else lay downhill.
Then came a call to a local garage because technology had not been a friend to the car’s owner.
Mechanics at Fourwinds Garage were summoned as the Focus sank beneath the ripples it made on its way down, according to Cornwall Live.
An employee at the garage who was not named said, “An unfortunate holidaymaker experienced an electronic handbrake fail. Fourwinds Garage were sent on behalf of the AA to fish the car out of the lake at Whiteacres Holiday Park with our Eastrac.”
Are cars so complex today that something always goes wrong?
“A faulty electronic handbrake caused the vehicle to roll,” the employee said, noting that if the car’s stiff upper lip was soggy, its owner’s was not.
“The owners were very good and calm about the situation and were grateful that no one was hurt.”
Holidaymaker in nightmare Cornwall getaway when electric handbrake failed leaving car under water: Pictures capture the unfortunate turn of events which led a Ford Focus estate into the waters at Parkdean Resort in Newquay, Cornwall earlier this week as… https://t.co/vfEOS9eq2M pic.twitter.com/IJemOcHR8i
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An electronic handbrake is essentially a button pushed inside the car that engages the brakes while the vehicle is parked.
Because this is a system connected to all the other systems in the modern technological marvel that is a car, it is prone to issues the old brake set by hand is not.
The Mail cited low system voltage or an open fuse as common issues that cause an electronic handbrake to fail.
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