Anti Lock Braking System in Cars

It’s every motorist’s nightmare… that shrill screeching sound of tyres sliding across tarmac that sends chills down the spine for everyone on the road.

Enter the magic of the Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS). ABS is an electronic system that uses various electronic and mechanical components to pulsate braking force to the wheels, stopping the wheels from sliding. You see, when the wheels slide, they stop rotating and become locked and the screeching sound you hear is of the tyres being dragged across tarmac or concrete. When the wheels are locked, the car takes longer to come to a halt. And because the wheels are locked, and dragging along the road, a driver is unable to steer the car. So, every time a wheel is about to lock up under braking, ABS ensures brake pressure is reduced several times in a millisecond. When ABS is working, the driver will feel the brake pedal juddering as the braking force is pulsated by the system.

ABS allows a car under emergency braking to come to a halt very quickly while retaining the driver’s ability to steer the car around obstacles as the wheels do not lock up under braking. ABS is backed up by Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD). This system cleverly and instantaneously calculates how much braking force is required at each wheel, and then applies the same to achieve the best braking performance under varied circumstances.