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To
Use
Anti-Lock
Don’t pump the brakes. Just hold the
brake pedal down and let anti-lock work
for you. You may feel the system
working, or you may notice some noise,
but this is normal.
,Braking in Emergencies
At some time, nearly every driver gets
into a situation that requires hard braking.
If you have anti-lock, you can steer and
brake at the same time. However, if you
don’t have anti-lock, your first reaction’
--
to hit the brake pedal hard and hold it
down
--
may be the wrong thing to do.
Your wheels can stop rolling. Once they
do, the vehicle can’t respond to your
steering. Momentum will carry it in
whatever direction it was headed when
the wheels stopped rolling. That could be
off
the road, into the very thing you were
trying to avoid, or into traffic.
If you don’t have anti-lock, use a
“squeeze” braking technique. This will
give you maximum braking while
maintaining steering control. You do this
by pushing on the brake pedal with
steadily increasing pressure.
tn
an emergency you will probably want
to
“squeeze” the brakes hard without
locking the wheels. If you hear
bi
f&ei the
wheels sliding, ease
off
the brake pedal.
This will help you retain steering control.
(If you
do
have anti-lock, it’s different:
see Index under “Anti-lock Brakes.”) In
many emergencies, steering can help you
more than even the very best braking.
Steering
Power
Steering
If you lose power steering assist because
the engine stops or the system is not
functioning, you can steer but it will take
much more effort.
Steering Tips
Drivitlg
on
Curves
It’s important to take curves at a
reasonable speed.
A lot
of
the “driver lost control” accidents
mentioned on the news happen on curves.
Here’s why:
Experienced driver or beginner, each of
us
is
subject to the same laws of physics
when driving on curves. The traction of
the tires against the road surface makes it
possible for the vehicle to change its path
when you turn the front wheels. If there’s
no traction, inertia will keep the vehicle
going in the same direction. If you’ve
ever tried to steer a vehicle on wet ice,
you’ll understand this.
The traction you can get in a curve
depends on the condition of your tires and
the road surface, the angle at which the
curve is banked, and your speed. While
you’re in a curve, speed is the one factor
you can control.
Suppose you’re steering through a sharp
curve. Then’ you suddenly apply the
brakes. Both control systems
--
steering
and braking
--
have to do their work
where the tires meet the road. Unless you
have four-wheel anti-lock brakes, adding
the hard braking can demand too much
of
those places. You can lose control.
The same thing can happen if you’re
steering through a sharp curve and you
suddenly accelerate. Those two control
systems
--
steering and acceleration
--
can overwhelm those places where the
tires meet
the
road and make you lose
control.