Serving the Gainesville and Hawthorne Florida Area
ABS: Antilock Brake Systems
Most drivers aren't aware of "using" antilock brakes, (ABS stands for Antilock Brake System), but ABS can prevent accidents, especially in a panic stop with a less experienced driver.
I'm not going into how hydraulic brakes work: see my article on brakes to learn more about what makes a car stop.
Basically, when you press the brake pedal, the brakes slow the wheel and tire down, slowing the vehicle down also. In normal braking the wheel keeps constant contact with the road, and the brakes make the car come to a full stop. At some point however, if you press the brake pedal hard enough and are going fast enough, the wheel will "lock up." At this point the wheel is no longer turning, but the vehicle is still moving. The tire is skidding, and a skidding tire has very little traction. It is no longer slowing the car down nearly as fast as when the tire had traction and the brakes were slowing it down.
Locking up the brakes is kind of like "burning rubber" on a hot rod, but in reverse... You can spin the tires on a hot rod and make a lot of smoke and noise but not move an inch.
Squealing tires when you apply the brakes mean you're not slowing down much. Here's a hilarious video on Youtube of a Lamborghini driven by an idiot . Notice how the car completely loses control after the wheels lock up!
Ideally, a good driver senses a skid and releases the brakes slightly, maintaining a pressure just short of the tire skidding. A good driver (or very cautious driver!) may never experience the antilock system in operation.
When ABS brakes were first introduced a trend was noticed: rear end collisions actually INCREASED in cars with 4 wheel antilock brakes. The theory was that the noise and vibration the brakes make when the ABS operates "freaked out" drivers, who released the brakes, then rear ended the car in front of them.
If the ABS "kicks in" during a panic stop, don't release the brakes. It should stop you as fast or faster than an "expert driver" in the same circumstance, "pumping his brakes!" Remember, the vibration of ABS is just normal operation!
The absolute fastest stop still happens when you are right on the verge of the wheel locking up, but not quite.
When the ABS activates it means the brakes have been applied too hard and a wheel has locked up.
Thus an experienced or very careful driver may never use the antilock brakes, or at least never notice its operation.
Here's the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration article on Antilock Brake Systems
A
ABS: Anti-Lock Brake Systems
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