Braking In Emergencies; Using Anti-Lock - Geo TRACKER 1996 Manual

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.
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