As early as 1914 an interlock device was created to prevent a vehicle from shifting into motion on its own. There have been several different types of interlock variations that many car companies have developed, including a brake transmission interlock, a brake shift interlock, and a starter ignition interlock.

A brake transmission interlock works by applying the brakes automatically if no one is in the driver’s seat. If the safety restraints are not being used the brakes are also automatically applied. A brake shift interlock does not allow the gear shift to move unless the brake is applied. The starter ignition interlock it requires a key and the brake to be applied for a manual vehicle to start. Automatic vehicles must have the gear in ‘park’ or in ‘neutral’ in order for the ignition to be started or for the key to be removed.

This entry was posted on Friday, July 27th, 2007 at 11:39 pm and is filed under Braking Technology. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.