Car Articles

Without an antilock brake system (ABS), your emergency stop has to be made quite skillfully. Though you need to push the brake pedal hard, you must take care to push it to the right amount, or you may skid the tyres. Your primary role in this kind of a situation should be to become an organic version of ABS and bring the tyres to a point where they have stopped rolling. If the tyres completely stop, grip drops severely and you must release the brake pressure until the tyres start rolling again, then reapply brake pressure.

Remember, the car will not steer at all if you lock the brakes. In this situation, many drivers turn the wheel completely to right or left: If you release the brakes just before the car comes to a halt, it will move whichever way the wheels are pointed.

Now, you cannot acquire a skill like these just out of the blue. Practice and skill will pay off in a real situation. This is how you can practice. Locate an empty parking lot. Start moving. Squeeze the brake pedal and increase the pressure till you can hear a tiny squeal from the car. This signal is your clue that the tyres are close to their peak grip. But if the tyres howl badly, it means that they stopped rolling and the grip has stopped too. Release the reapply brakes.

When your car is equipped with ABS and you encounter a road-blocking emergency, here is a list of things that you should do. Push the brake real hard; kick it as if you are trying to snap it off. Keep pushing the gas pedal until you bring the car to a complete halt. Hold the brake to the floor with all your might.

And like the previous situation, practice before the actual emergency will serve you good. Start at a low speed, like 40kmph. Push the brake and stay. Most of the time, the first timers do not push the brake hard enough, nor do they stay on the brake pedal until the car comes to a complete stop. But stopping the car completely is important. Once you have practiced to push the brakes hard, practice the same at higher speeds.