Thats the same case with all brakes in use more or less. Also modern brakes have two hydraulic systems, in the case that one of the loops (front or rear) breaks there should be sufficient pressure to apply the brakes still.
Sometimes its front/rear and sometimes it is diagonal, but it should still do the emergency trick.
What cars is this the case in? All the cars I've ever driven have hydraulic-assisted brakes but can still be used without the assist in a pinch, if you really use your leg muscles. It seems REALLY dangerous to have no ability to manually actuate your brakes. If an ICE car like this with an electronic parking brake were to stall while going downhill, you'd be completely screwed.
I have, they're tiny shoes and it'll lock up your rear wheels at best.
I would suggest that anybody reading NOT try this unless you have a quite large and empty lot with no public access. Pay close attention, they are not called Emergency Brakes, they are called Parking Brakes.
The stated purpose of these brakes are to ensure your car wont roll away while parked. Anybody with a manual transmission knows the ritual of shifting into 1 or Reverse and turning their wheels toward the curb while parked even while the parking brake is engaged.
They are smaller shoes. You could lock them up, but you could also modulate it (success depends on the type and user experience). Instead of a joke, here's some actual information.
It will if maintained properly. If you don't use it often it becomes loose and won't hold.
In my part of Europe it's the main issue for technical inspections, as most people drive automatic and we don't have hills, so we just put it in P when we park. The handbrake rarely gets used.
