|
The Road Scholar
|
| ABS: No bones about it |
|
| Updated |
Jun 10, 2004 22:08:58 |
| Rating |
 16 ( -6 -37.5% ) | | Author | Tara Baukus Mello |
|
|
Description:
Related Stories
On the Road...
If you're looking for a great road trip car, check out one of these:
Mercedes-Benz SL500
Mercedes G500
Lincoln Navigator
Hummer H2
Safety Guide
Everything you need to know about safety, from air bags and child seats to crash test data and driving tips.
Summer Drive Guide
Before you hit the road, check out our guide to safe and sane road trips.
Road Scholar
More columns about being a smart driver
She Drives
Driving and car care tips for women
Comments or suggestions about this column? Send an e-mail to: editor@autobytel.com
Autobytel Inc. operates the popular automotive websites Autobytel.com, Autoweb.com, Carsmart.com, and Autosite.com.
xxx
"Okay, Tara. Same as last time. Just drive straight toward Bones. When you get to the cone, brake and steer to avoid hitting him" The directions for the road course that demonstrated anti-lock braking systems (ABS) seemed simple enough. After all, I had successfully avoided hitting Bones, the full-size skeleton set up for the exercise, in the ABS-equipped Volvo S40. Now I was behind the wheel of an identical vehicle, only the ABS had been deactivated.
I waited for the signal and stomped on the gas, heading straight for Bones. At the orange cone, I braked hard and steered to the left. The back end of the car began to swing to the right and, before I had time to compensate, the right rear quarter panel contacted with the skeleton and Bones went flying.
This simple exercise on a course set up in an empty parking lot reserved for the occasion was one of the ways Volvo was demonstrating the safety features in their (then) new S40, the entry-level Volvo that arrived in showrooms in fall 1999. The experience---one that would have been terrifying had Bones been real and had I been making an emergency maneuver---drove home the point that anti-lock brakes really can make a difference, but only if they are used properly.
Anti-lock braking systems are designed to prevent skidding, while helping drivers maintain steering control during an emergency stopping situation. When I drove the Volvo that had the ABS disabled, I experienced what it felt like to have the wheels lock and prevent me from being able to steer around the obstacle.
The anti-lock braking system was actually first developed in 1936, although the system has only been widely available in the U.S. for just over a decade. While new vehicle equipped with ABS are more common today than ones without ABS in the U.S, many drivers still do not know the driving techniques required to operate an ABS-equipped vehicle properly.
Most drivers learned to pump the brakes and turn the steering wheel hard to compensate for a skidding vehicle. These driving techniques will actually hinder the performance of a vehicle equipped with ABS.
Road Scholar
ABS: No Bones About It
---Tara Baukus Mello
ABS keeps wheels from locking during hard braking, such as during a panic stop. Sensors located near each wheel monitor speed to determine when the wheels are about to lock. The ABS then begins pumping the brakes up to 18 times per second, keeping the wheels from locking and allowing the driver to maintain steering ability.
With ABS, drivers should step on the brake pedal hard, steer normally and only let off the brakes when the car is completely stopped. A driver who takes his foot off the brake, even momentarily, will disengage the ABS. This should only be done if the vehicle is under control and out of danger.
Rear-wheel ABS, which is found only on light trucks, vans and sport utility vehicles, provides vehicle stability, but does not offer the steering capability of the four-wheel ABS that is found in passenger cars. With rear-wheel ABS, (sometimes referred to as RWAL) the front wheels can still lock. Therefore, when driving a vehicle with rear-wheel ABS, you should not step as firmly, and if the front wheels begin to lock, you should withhold some pressure. Although this system will not provide the same capabilities as four-wheel ABS, it does offer better braking ability and vehicle stability versus conventional brakes.
You can usually tell that the anti-lock braking system in your vehicle has been activated because you will feel a pulsation in the brake pedal or will hear a mechanical sound. If you feel these vibrations or hear the sounds, it is important to continue to brake firmly. Under most road conditions, ABS-equipped vehicles will stop in a shorter distance than those without ABS. In some cases, such as when driving in loose gravel or fresh snow, if the wheels of a non-ABS-equipped vehicle lock, they will create a wedge of snow or gravel, which can make the vehicle stop more quickly.
Just the same, the advantages to ABS far outweigh conventional brakes. In an emergency stop in an ABS-equipped car, you will be able to maintain full steering capability, particularly if you are on dry pavement. On a slippery road, you may find that steering will not be as responsive, but you will still have more control than with conventional brakes---a real boon when you're trying to avoid some old "bones."
------
About Tara Baukus Mello
For more about Tara, check out SheDrives.com. With over 2500 articles published during the last 12 years, Tara's work regularly appears in over 30 newspapers, magazines and Internet magazines. She is the author of multiple monthly columns and has published nine non-fiction chapter books for children, six of which are part of the Race Car Legends series by Chelsea House Publishing. Automotive accomplishments include retracing the journey of Alice Huyler Ramsey, the first woman to drive across the United States. Tara is a member of both the Motor Press Guild and the International Motor Press Association as well as the Los Angeles Car of the Year jury.
Tara has had an interest in cars since she was a teen. Her passion for automobiles flourished when she and her father built a 1932 Ford pickup street rod, which received national recognition by the National Street Rod Association in 1992. Originally from Massachusetts, Tara graduated cum laude from Harvard University before moving to the West Coast. She currently parks her '32 Ford in the garage of her Southern California home, which she shares with her husband Jeff.
Text and photos © Copyright 2000, Tara Baukus Mello.
a |
| Similar news: | - Companies Act pared to the bone - The concept paper on the new Companies Act has retained some of the controversial provisions in the Companies (Amendment) Bill, 2003, including appointing about 50 per cent independent directors on a company's board and prohibiting multi-layered ...
- Hard road for Hardie - THE final written submissions into the James Hardie company's asbestos manoeuvrings recommend an astonishing range of charges against the principals of what was once one of Australia's most respected companies.
- Road Map 2004 - While 2004's stock market has started off bleakly, abundant reason exists for optimism here and now. Stand your ground. Buy stocks. Historical patterns strongly lean toward the likelihood that 2004 will end with a gain for the stock market. As my March co
| | Find all news similar on The Road Scholar |
|
