United Kingdom driving test

For the practical section of the driving test

United Kingdom driving test

The United Kingdom driving test is a test which all United Kingdom learner drivers must pass to obtain a full driving licence. Different tests are available for users of different vehicles, from car drivers, to motorcyclists and HGV drivers. In Great Britain it is administered by the Driving...

, an examiner will often request the candidate to perform an emergency stop. This is done in order to evaluate how well a candidate can react to a dangerous situation and bring their motor vehicle to a safe stop. This is to be achieved with minimal locking up of the road wheels and skidding. Currently around 1 in 3 candidates undertaking a practical driving test have to perform an emergency stop.

Railways

On railways

Rail transport

Rail transport is a means of conveyance of passengers and goods by way of wheeled vehicles running on rail tracks. In contrast to road transport, where vehicles merely run on a prepared surface, rail vehicles are also directionally guided by the tracks they run on...

, an emergency stop is a full application of the brake

Brake

A brake is a mechanical device which inhibits motion. Its opposite component is a clutch. The rest of this article is dedicated to various types of vehicular brakes....

s in order to bring a train to a stop as quickly as possible, much like an emergency brake (train)

Emergency brake (train)

On trains, the expression emergency brake has several meanings:* The maximum brake force available to the driver/engineer from his conventional braking system, usually operated by taking the brake handle to its furthest postion, through a gate mechanism, or by pushing a separate plunger in the cab*...

.http://content.honeywell.com/sensing/prodinfo/rail/technical/railglos.pdf This occurs either by a manual emergency stop activation, such as a button being pushed on the train to start the emergency stop, or on some trains automatically, when the train has passed a red signal

Signal passed at danger

A Signal passed at danger , in British railway terminology, occurs when a train passes a stop signal without authority to do so. It is a term primarily used within the British Railway Industry, although it can be applied worldwide.-Categories of SPAD:...

 or the driver has failed to respond to warnings to check that he/she is still alert.

Ships

In large ships, an emergency stop button pulls the countershaft for the fuel pumps to the stop position, cutting off the fuel supply and stopping the engines. With a controllable pitch propeller, the stop button may declutch the engine from the propeller.

Industrial equipment

On large industrial machines, an emergency stop(or E-stop) button is typically located on the panel, and possibly in several other areas of the machine. This provides a rapid means to disconnect the energy source of the device to protect workers.http://machinedesign.com/article/designing-with-e-stop-switches-0622 In some contexts, such as nuclear reactor

Nuclear reactor

A nuclear reactor is a device to initiate and control a sustained nuclear chain reaction. Most commonly they are used for generating electricity and for the propulsion of ships. Usually heat from nuclear fission is passed to a working fluid , which runs through turbines that power either ship's...

s or data center

Data center

A data center is a facility used to house computer systems and associated components, such as telecommunications and storage systems...

s, the emergency stop is known as scram

Scram

A scram or SCRAM is an emergency shutdown of a nuclear reactor – though the term has been extended to cover shutdowns of other complex operations, such as server farms and even large model railroads...

.

Amusement rides

The emergency stop on an amusement ride

Amusement ride

Amusement rides are large mechanical devices that move people to create enjoyment. They are frequently found at amusement parks, traveling carnivals, and funfairs.-Notable types:*Afterburner*Ali Baba*Balloon Race*Booster...

is similar to that on industrial equipment. Typically brakes on a ride are designed to be disengaged when power is applied; disconnecting power will cause all brakes to engage. Most amusement rides have a computer that can, similar to the rail example provided above, engage the emergency stop when such a ride is determined to be out of operating specification.