2008 Mazda MAZDA3 Owner's Manual - Page 124
2008 Mazda MAZDA3 Manual
Page 124 highlights
Driving Your Mazda Starting and Driving qParking Brake Setting the parking brake Depress the brake pedal and then firmly pull the parking brake lever fully upwards with a greater amount of force than is required so that the vehicle holds in the stationary position. WARNING Before leaving the driver's seat, always put the key to LOCK position, set the parking brake and make sure the shift lever is in P with an automatic transaxle or in 1 or R with a manual transaxle: Intentionally placing the key into LOCK position is much more important where you will not be removing the key to leave the vehicle and because leaving it in other positions will disable some of the vehicle security systems and run the battery down. Leaving the driver's seat without putting the ignition switch in LOCK position, setting the parking brake and the shift lever is in P with an automatic transaxle or in 1 or R with a manual transaxle is dangerous. Unexpected vehicle movement could occur. This could cause an accident. Releasing the parking brake Depress the brake pedal and pull the parking brake lever upwards, then press the release button. While holding the button, lower the parking brake lever all the way down to the released position. CAUTION Driving with the parking brake on will cause excessive wear of the brake linings or pads. NOTE For parking in snow, refer to Winter Driving (page 4-9) regarding parking brake use. 5-6