Remember: Anti-lock doesn’t change the
time
you need
to
get
your
foot
up
to the brake pedal or always decrease
stopping distance. If you get too close to the vehicle in
front
of
you, you won’t have time to apply your brakes
if
that vehicle suddenly slows or stops. Always leave
enough
room
up
ahead to stop, even though you have
anti-lock brakes.
Using
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,
ABS
ACTIVE
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.
In an emergency, you will probably want
to
squeeze the
brakes
hard without
locking
the
wheels.
If
you hear
or
feel
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
“Anti-Lock
Brakes”
in
the
Index.)
When your anti-lock system
is
adjusting brake pressure
to
help
avoid
a
braking
skid,
this light will come
on.
See
“Anti-Lock Brake System
Active Light” in the Index.
In many emergencies, steering can help you more than
even
the
very best braking.
IC-0
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