ABS brakes have been around
awhile, but there are still drivers who have not learned
what they are and how they work. I was lucky enough a few
years ago to get a "guest" slot in a "tactical
driving course." The course teaches officers how to
maneuver, control, brake, corner, back up, etc., without
losing control. Having taken the course, I think it teaches
very well what cars can and cannot do. I learned that high
performance driving takes PRACTICE, and lots of it. Most
of us don't get the chance to practice the skills required
to drive at the maximum capabilities of our machines. This
is why ABS brakes are so important.
Emergency
braking with non-ABS brakes requires a sensitive touch
on the brake pedal, using a technique called "threshold
braking." Threshold braking is what most of us would
call "pumping the brakes." But that's not really
what it is. Awkwardly pumping the brakes with no "feel"
for what the wheels and brakes are doing is counterproductive
in a situation where maximum braking effort is needed. Threshold
braking means applying brake pressure right up to the point
of a skid, backing off just enough to prevent the skid,
then constantly adjusting throughout the stop to keep the
braking effort right at that point. This is not easy. You
have to acquire a "feel" for it, literally. What
works one millisecond won't work the next, and you have
to be quick enough on the pedal to stay on the edge of a
skid, without actually locking your wheels. Once mastered,
the technique will stop you faster than any other way. But
it takes practice to master -- I slid through the cones
about ten times before I could do it. I am Bob, Killer of
Cones!
Threshold braking is what ABS brake systems
do FOR you. Computer-controlled sensors at each wheel
"feel" when that tire is about to slip, and lessen
the brake pressure at that wheel to keep the skid from occurring
-- hundreds of times a second. You don't skid, and therefore
you don't lose your ability to steer. This is the important
part. In a panic stop with ABS brakes, you can steer around
whatever it is you are trying to miss -- whether it's traffic
cones or something else, like a car -- or a kid. Having
tried and practiced threshold braking, and then doing the
same exercise in a vehicle with ABS, I can tell you that
I will never buy another vehicle without ABS brakes.
Remember this: if you try to pump ABS brakes,
they will not work. Pumping ABS brakes defeats the computer's
efforts to sense a wheel skid. If your vehicle has ABS brakes,
when you need to stop in a hurry press the brake hard and
hold your foot on the pedal no matter what it feels or sounds
like. ABS brakes pulsate, they rattle, and they make noise.
Do not release the pedal until you no longer need to brake.
I suggest you go to an empty parking lot somewhere, and
stop hard enough to activate your ABS system. You'll then
know what it feels like before you really have to use it.
Doing so might save your life -- no exaggeration -- or some
one else's.
As always, keep the shiny side up!
<Rule
67: Keep Children Safe in the Center!
Rule 69: Choose
Your Route for Safety>
