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I was told that in USA there are kind of ramps on highways, which can help drivers in situation when their car's brakes break. Thus if my brakes suddenly break, I turn off the road and drive on this ramp (skateboard-like half-pipe) and roll from side to side till I stop. Is it true?

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Welcome, this is a general knowledge question, as there seems to be no claim as such. Please read our FAQ and the welcome post therein to understand better the kind of content that is appropriate here. – Sklivvz♦ Sep 14 '12 at 11:47
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The answer, though, is "sort of." There are, along many steep downgrades, flat gravel run-off areas used for emergencies. The gravel is deep enough so that the vehicle sinks quite deeply and hopefully comes to a safe stop. They are nothing like half-pipes! – Larry OBrien Sep 15 '12 at 17:57

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In particularly hilly areas there are things called runaway truck ramps. They are usually just an uphill gravel area at the bottom of a hill.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Runaway_truck_ramp

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Nice, thanks much! – Kolyunya Sep 14 '12 at 8:08

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