How to Stop in an Emergency Without ABS

A Canadian Direct Insurance Claim:

A Canadian Direct customer's son was driving his vehicle. He was driving north on Garden Avenue when another car passed him, and then cut directly in front. He slammed on the brakes, lost control, and skidded to the right when the brakes locked up. The car hit the curb on the side of the road, went over that and hit a rock. There was extensive damage to the right front of vehicle.

Could This Accident Have Been Avoided?

Knowing how to stop your car in a hurry may just be the most important driving skill you can ever master. Of course, how to do that depends on whether your vehicle is equipped with an Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) or not. In a future article I'll take a detailed look at ABS, but for now, let's look at what it takes to stop in an emergency when driving a vehicle that is not equipped with ABS.

The brakes on a modern automobile are far more powerful than almost any engine. In other words, the car is capable of stopping much quicker than it can accelerate. They are the car's most powerful system. And yet, most drivers use less than half the brakes's capabilities, and even then, use them improperly.

In fact, most drivers, when faced with an emergency, fall into one of two categories: they either don't brake hard enough, or like the driver in our claim, they brake far too hard, and skid.

So, what do you do when faced with an emergency. First, don't "hit" or "slam" on the brakes. "Squeeze" on the brakes. It doesn't matter how fast you need to stop, squeeze the brake pedal - firmly. You will stop quicker by squeezing the pedal down than by slamming or hitting the brakes.

Then, squeeze the pedal down to the point just before the tires begin to skid - right at the limit of the tires's traction or grip. Never forget that if you lock-up the brakes and begin to skid, you have lost all directional control of the car. No matter what you do with the steering wheel, the car will continue straight ahead. Plus, a skidding car takes more distance to stop.

You need to pay attention to the feel in the steering when braking. If the steering suddenly starts to feel light or insensitive, the front brakes are probably locked up. You should also notice that the car is not responding to the direction you've turned the steering wheel. And, of course, if you're driving on dry pavement you may notice the screeching of tires.

Actually, when you're braking right at the limit just before the brakes lock-up, a faint howl may be heard from the tires. Braking at this limit is called "threshold braking", and is the fastest and safest way to stop a car.

If you exceed the limit for threshold braking and begin to lock-up, ease up slightly on the pedal - curling your toes back should release enough pressure - and then smoothly reapply again. In other words, you may have to modulate the pedal pressure slightly using the tire noise, the forces on your body and the balance of the car for feedback. Abrupt, hard braking will cause the car to nose-dive, putting most of the braking effort on the front brakes, increasing your stopping distance.

This does not mean "pumping" the brakes, which is definitely the least effective way of stopping a vehicle - and unfortunately, over-used. Perhaps years ago, when vehicles didn't have the sophisticated and durable braking systems we enjoy now, pumping was a useful technique. But not anymore.

The single biggest reason drivers lock up and skid is that they focus their eyes on what they are about to hit. Once you have locked your vision onto something in front of you, it is difficult to threshold brake and steer to avoid.

So, if you're trying to avoid colliding with something, don't look at it. Keep your vision up. Look to either side, then "squeeze" the brakes firmly, feeling for any signs of lock-up. If you begin to skid, quickly ease off the pedal slightly, and continue to look where you want to go - to either side of it.

One of the keys to effective braking is bracing your body by pressing your left foot against the floor, on that rest pad area to the left of the clutch and/or brake pedal. This helps support your body so that you will be more sensitive and effective with the modulation of the brake pedal.

It takes an experienced, sensitive foot to threshold brake properly. This comes with a lot of practice. I recommend practising threshold braking in a safe place, such as a vacant parking lot or a driver training facility. And even practise squeezing the brake pedal firmly (but lightly - don't practise emergency stops on public roads!) in your everyday driving, so that it becomes second nature. It may just be the most important life-saving skill you'll ever acquire.