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Brake Systems: Anti-Lock, ABS Systems
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Published: April 2, 2007
Cars equipped with anti-lock brake systems first became available in the United States in the late 1970s. Although at the time, anti-lock brake systems were only an option on high-end imports like Mercedes-Benz, domestic car lines would eventually follow suit. By the middle of the 1980s, General Motors offerings like Cadillac would also feature anti-lock brake systems. Today, anti-lock brake systems are credited with preventing countless minor fender-benders and serious fatal accidents since brake systems were included as a standard feature or available option.
Before the application of anti-lock brake systems by the automotive industry, preventing a skid relied on a drivers' skill and reliable disc brakes or drum brakes. When a driver applied the brakes too stiffly, there was a tendency for cars' brake systems to lock up and a driver to lose control of steering, making skids, especially in wet or icy conditions, to be very dangerous. Although a maneuver known as "pumping the brake" could assist or prevent a driver during a skid, the maneuver required the panicked driver to have presence of mind to pump his or her brakes. The ABS braking system removed the driver's wits from the equation.
Anti-lock brake systems combine mechanical engineering with the innovation of onboard computers. Utilizing sensors usually located along the wheels of the car, the computer senses a skid or brake lock up, and signals restrictions on the hydraulic valves that operate the vehicle's brakes. Like "punping the brake," a car equipped with an ABS braking system utilizes an onboard computer that selectively applies pressure to the wheels, preventing the brakes from locking and sending a driver into a potentially fatal skid.
Today, the NHTSA (National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration), an extension of the United State's Department of Transportation, with the mission to "save lives, prevent injuries, [and] reduce vehicle-related crashes," has recognized the role of anti-lock brake systems in countering vehicle collisions. However, the NHTSA also recognizes that anti-lock brake systems are not the be all, end all to vehicle collisions. Instead, the NHSTA sees it as a useful tool that when coupled with proper vehicle maintenance and safe driving habits such as "[keeping] a safe distance behind the vehicle in front of you" and "[maintaining] a speed consistent with the road conditions" can "[add] an important measure of safety to your driving under all conditions."
Although anti-lock brake systems may seem simple in idea and design, innovations continue not only to anti-lock brakes, but engineers continue to discover new ways of augmenting the safety features of the ABS braking system with new and old systems designed to protect drivers and their passengers. Brake systems such as anti-lock brakes have made way for stability control or ESC (Electronic Stability Control) and its predecessor, traction control, with virtually no driver assistance, keeps the vehicle stable in many emergency situations such as skids. Car designs known as "deformable structure" insures that in the event that safety systems designed to prevent collisions fail, that the vehicle will absorb the impact of a collision instead of the driver and passenger. Perhaps the greatest innovation in transportation, seat belts, when used, are considered a motorist's best lifesaver. Using seat belts in conjunction with traction and brake systems can turn a potentially fatal disaster into accident a driver can walk away from.
Sources:
Hollingsworth, John. “Top Ten Safety Systems.” AutoMedia.com. 2007. 2 April 2007. http://www.automedia.com/Top/10/Safety/Systems/dsm 20061001ss/1.
About Anti-Lock Braking Systems. Transport Canada. 2 April 2007. 2 April 2007. http://www.tc.gc.ca/roadsafety/tp/tp13082/abs1_e.h tm#What.
Anti-Lock Brakes. MSN/ Microsoft. 2007. 2 April 2007. http://autos.msn.com/advice/article.aspx?contentid =9201.
Anti-Lock Brake Systems (ABS). National Highway and Transportation Safety Agency. 2007. 2 April 2007. http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/problems/equipment/a bsbrakes/index.html
National Highway and Transportation Safety Agency. 2007. 2 April 2007. http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/.
Before the application of anti-lock brake systems by the automotive industry, preventing a skid relied on a drivers' skill and reliable disc brakes or drum brakes. When a driver applied the brakes too stiffly, there was a tendency for cars' brake systems to lock up and a driver to lose control of steering, making skids, especially in wet or icy conditions, to be very dangerous. Although a maneuver known as "pumping the brake" could assist or prevent a driver during a skid, the maneuver required the panicked driver to have presence of mind to pump his or her brakes. The ABS braking system removed the driver's wits from the equation.
Anti-lock brake systems combine mechanical engineering with the innovation of onboard computers. Utilizing sensors usually located along the wheels of the car, the computer senses a skid or brake lock up, and signals restrictions on the hydraulic valves that operate the vehicle's brakes. Like "punping the brake," a car equipped with an ABS braking system utilizes an onboard computer that selectively applies pressure to the wheels, preventing the brakes from locking and sending a driver into a potentially fatal skid.
Today, the NHTSA (National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration), an extension of the United State's Department of Transportation, with the mission to "save lives, prevent injuries, [and] reduce vehicle-related crashes," has recognized the role of anti-lock brake systems in countering vehicle collisions. However, the NHTSA also recognizes that anti-lock brake systems are not the be all, end all to vehicle collisions. Instead, the NHSTA sees it as a useful tool that when coupled with proper vehicle maintenance and safe driving habits such as "[keeping] a safe distance behind the vehicle in front of you" and "[maintaining] a speed consistent with the road conditions" can "[add] an important measure of safety to your driving under all conditions."
Although anti-lock brake systems may seem simple in idea and design, innovations continue not only to anti-lock brakes, but engineers continue to discover new ways of augmenting the safety features of the ABS braking system with new and old systems designed to protect drivers and their passengers. Brake systems such as anti-lock brakes have made way for stability control or ESC (Electronic Stability Control) and its predecessor, traction control, with virtually no driver assistance, keeps the vehicle stable in many emergency situations such as skids. Car designs known as "deformable structure" insures that in the event that safety systems designed to prevent collisions fail, that the vehicle will absorb the impact of a collision instead of the driver and passenger. Perhaps the greatest innovation in transportation, seat belts, when used, are considered a motorist's best lifesaver. Using seat belts in conjunction with traction and brake systems can turn a potentially fatal disaster into accident a driver can walk away from.
Sources:
Hollingsworth, John. “Top Ten Safety Systems.” AutoMedia.com. 2007. 2 April 2007. http://www.automedia.com/Top/10/Safety/Systems/dsm 20061001ss/1.
About Anti-Lock Braking Systems. Transport Canada. 2 April 2007. 2 April 2007. http://www.tc.gc.ca/roadsafety/tp/tp13082/abs1_e.h tm#What.
Anti-Lock Brakes. MSN/ Microsoft. 2007. 2 April 2007. http://autos.msn.com/advice/article.aspx?contentid =9201.
Anti-Lock Brake Systems (ABS). National Highway and Transportation Safety Agency. 2007. 2 April 2007. http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/problems/equipment/a bsbrakes/index.html
National Highway and Transportation Safety Agency. 2007. 2 April 2007. http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/.
