Anti-lock Braking System(ABS) Explained

Do you know ABS? ABS stands for- ‘Anti Braking System’. Most often, the situation is – you are driving at an average speed, try to brake, by applying the pressure on your brake pedal and your car slowly comes to a halt. Nothing to worry! Now suppose, if you are sailing at high speed and want to slow down immediately. Your brake pedal are really hard to press.

 

What will happen if you try to stop your car at a faster rate than is likely by the friction between the tires and the road, because of application of the brakes (you can say the wheels ‘lock’) but the vehicle even now keep moving forward because of its momentum and results in ‘skidding’.

At this moment, there is not enough friction between the wheels and the road so that vehicle can stop so the driver can not control the vehicle properly. This situation also arise if the starting speed is very high or if the road is slippery. In another case can be a skid, if the driver do lose the control over the car and as he suppose to steer the car when applying brakes at that moment. ABS will avoid the wheels to be locked, hence preserving the capability of driver to steer.