What acts as safeties for elevators suspended by cables?

The correct answer is clamps because they are designed to serve as safety devices that hold the elevator in place in the event of a cable failure. Clamps can engage automatically when the elevator begins to descend too quickly, effectively stopping the elevator and preventing it from plummeting. This safety feature is crucial for protecting passengers and ensuring the elevator operates safely within its design parameters.

Brakes, while important for controlling the speed of the elevator and bringing it to a stop during normal operation, do not serve the same purpose as clamps in terms of providing a safety catch in the event of a cable malfunction. Locks and hinges, on the other hand, pertain more to securing doors and structural function of the elevator system rather than directly preventing free fall or accidents related to cable suspension. Therefore, clamps are specifically engineered as a fail-safe mechanism in elevators suspended by cables.