[Blas]

au contraire,
My handbrake has never failed me in its function as long as it was properly adjusted and my car was parked in my garage on a level floor with the garage door shut so a siff breeze didn't move the car.

Seriously though: I have often wondered if a lever added to the linkage of the parking brake assembly would increase its applied pressure to the friction pads. But I believe you would then easily snap the handle (A $450 cosmetic item) when applying the additional force.

Having just come back from San Francisco, I could see how a properly operating parking brake would be a necessity. Even to hold the car in place on a hill while transfering your foot from the brake to the gas pedel. I had problems keeping an automatic from rolling backwards in a few places.

I had a different compond brake pad made at Sadisfied Brakes years ago.
I have the Wilwood Spot brakes on mine. It helped some, but the cost, import requirements, and effort to produce them made it a impossible choice. Also the volume would be so low... not an option.

Carry a rock or color coded brick with a rope on it...