ABS Education Alliance Newsroom

Special to Car Care Council Spring/Summer 2000 Supplement

Your Next-Lane Neighbors: How Will Their Cars or Trucks Stop in Emergencies?

You’re going 65 miles per hour on a four-lane road. Something big bounces off the truck in front of you! You know what to do to avoid it, but what your next-lane neighbors are driving may also affect your safety.

The equipment on the myriad of today’s vehicle makes and ages varies greatly. That fact makes a difference to all drivers on the road.

Take anti-lock braking systems, ABS for short. These days, about one in three personal vehicles is equipped with either four-wheel ABS or RWAL (rear wheel anti-lock brakes). Drivers of the other two-thirds of vehicles should be aware of what these cars and trucks can and can’t do when they have to stop suddenly.

“Even if your car or light truck isn’t equipped with anti-lock brakes, it’s important to understand what this technology can do,” said Rosemarie Kitchin, director of the ABS Education Alliance. “If you’re driving behind or next to an ABS-equipped vehicle, you’re near a vehicle which may be able to stop more quickly, and with more control, than your car or truck can.”

The wheels on a four-wheel ABS-equipped car won’t lock up in quick, hard stops, and the driver is able to retain steering control of the car. A vehicle with locked wheels may continue moving in the direction it’s heading, swerve, or even spin.

“A driver of a four-wheel ABS-equipped vehicle can steer that car or truck precisely where he wants it to go,“ said Kitchin. “He or she may be able to avoid obstacles by steering around them.”

On many surfaces, ABS-equipped cars and light trucks will stop in a shorter distance. “But that’s not true on all road surfaces,” cautions Kitchin. “On gravel, for instance, or on fresh snow, the stopping distance with ABS activated may be longer, but the vehicle will stop pointing in the direction the driver wants it to.”

How to Practice Using ABS
The ABS Education Alliance encourages drivers of ABS-equipped vehicles to become comfortable with the braking technology.

“Take the vehicle to an empty parking lot and practice,” Kitchin said. “Stomp on the brake pedal and hold it down, keep your eyes open, and steer the car precisely where you want it to go. You may want to create your own obstacle course with some large empty boxes to drive around. Point your car or truck exactly where you want to drive: there’s no need to oversteer with four-wheel ABS.

“As you practice, you’ll become familiar with the car’s reaction when ABS is activated. You’ll know how that particular car or truck handles when the ABS system is on, and you won’t be startled by the sound of the computer working or the feel of the brake pedal vibration when you are actually in an unplanned stopping situation.”

Know Your ABS: Is It RWAL or Four-wheel?
However, vehicles equipped with rear-wheel ABS (RWAL) control differently than four-wheel ABS vehicles in panic stopping situations. The front wheels can lock, and steering capability will not improve. Drivers should brake firmly to make a sudden stop. If they feel the front wheels begin to lock, they should withhold some pressure. The RWAL-equipped vehicle will stay straight while braking, and braking ability and vehicle stability will be better than with conventional brakes.

RWAL is designed to maintain directional stability and prevent the vehicle from skidding sideways during emergency stops. RWAL is found only on light trucks, such as pickups, sport utility vehicles (SUVs), and vans, but some light trucks, SUVs, and vans have four-wheel ABS.

All ABS-equipped vehicles, whether RWAL or four-wheel, have an ABS icon or sign which lights as the vehicle checks the ABS system every time the ignition is turned on. An ABS sign which stays on for more than a few seconds after ignition, or which comes on while the vehicle is in motion, means that the ABS system may have shut off and should be checked.

Every car and truck has what carmakers call conventional or platform brakes. These are in addition to ABS, and are used when making normal stops. This system is operable even if the ABS system has shut off because of a problem with the anti-lock braking system circuit.

Many drivers mistakenly believe their vehicle uses ABS in every braking situation but ABS is used only when drivers activate it for unplanned or emergency stops.

Don’t Pump with Four-Wheel ABS!
Before ABS, most drivers were taught to pump the vehicle’s brakes to prevent skidding in an emergency stop. ABS-equipped vehicles do the pumping for the driver in an emergency as fast as 18 times per second when the vehicle’s sensor detects the start of lock on one or more wheels. If the driver attempts to pump four-wheel ABS brakes or removes his or her foot from the brake, the anti-lock system is disengaged.

ABS DOs and DON’Ts

· DO keep your foot on the brake during emergency stopping situations. Maintain firm and continuous pressure on the brake while steering to enable four-wheel ABS to work properly.

· DO practice driving with ABS in an empty parking lot or other open area. Practicing helps drivers become accustomed to pulsations or noises that may occur when ABS is activated.

· DON’T pump the brakes during a panic or sudden stop. ABS pumps the brakes for you automatically, at a much faster rate, and allows better steering control.

· DON’T drive an ABS-equipped vehicle more aggressively than vehicles without ABS.

The ABS Education Alliance is a non-profit educational coalition of leading manufacturers of anti-lock braking systems: Robert Bosch Corp., Continental Teves, and Delphi Automotive Systems.