Why do American cars rock back when you put handbrake on & why don't they have a normal handbrake?

[Craig321]

As title really. I've always wondered this and never looked in to it.

Why do a lot of American cars have the handbrake or parking lever or whatever they call it behind the steering wheel?

Also, why when you put the handbrake on does the car then rock back?

Do they effectively not have a handbrake and the lever just puts it in gear or something?

Guess it's only certain makes or types as the car I drove when I was over there was just a normal rear brake handbrake.

 

[Craig321]

The rocking back and forth isn't caused by the parking brake, it's the motion you get when you put a car with an automatic gearbox in to in to "park" on a not completely flat surface. Unless I'm missing something

So what about the handbrake? I often see them rock back and forth when they get out the car which wouldn't happen if there was a 'proper' handbrake?

 

[Craig321]

Yeah that'd make sense. I see it in movies often, maybe it's a movie thing to add effect. I have seen it a lot in 'real' videos etc. as well though. Just made me wonder if they have some sort of weird American thing on some cars