Tips on emergency braking
Dec 01, 2003
Last week, we looked at the good braking and emphasised slow and progressive braking as the key to a safe stop. It is true that under normal conditions, a good driver does not to brake really hard.
By Kamya John
Last week, we looked at the good braking and emphasised slow and progressive braking as the key to a safe stop. It is true that under normal conditions, a good driver does not to brake really hard.
However, emergencies can happen and progressive braking may not be applicable, or useful.
For instance, when a child runs into the road infront of you. You must know how to stop quickly under control. Stopping in an emergency increases the risk of skidding.
In an emergency, a quick reaction is crucial. The sooner you start braking, the sooner you should stop! When faced with a situation that requires emergency stopping, try the following:
l Keep both hands on the steering. You need as much control as possible.
l Avoid braking so hard that you lock any of the wheels. A skid sideways or a wheel sliding may cause serious loss of control.
l Do not touch the clutch pedal until just before you stop. This helps with your braking and stability.
l Do not touch the hand brake. Most hand-brakes work on the back wheels only. Extra braking here can cause skidding.
However, consider the condition of the road as you decide whether to brake hard or progressively. If the road is dry, you should apply firm pressure, but on a wet road or loose surface, you should avoid using much. This means you will need to reduce speed and increase your separation distance from the vehicle in front.
When braking in an emergency, avoid the following:
l Do not signal, you need both hands to control the steering.
l Do not make a special point of looking in the mirror, you should know what is behind you.
l Stop as quickly and safely as possible, keeping your car under control.
l Look all round before moving off again.
As a measure of defensive driving, always drive at such a speed that you can stop safely at the distance you can see to be clear. If it is not clear, slow down. Always prepare for the unexpected. Drive slowly where you expect children to emerge any time, especially during school rush hours. The same is true where you expect animals to emerge, especially in animal parks.
Some people have panicked during emergencies and applied the hand brake. This locks the rear wheels and usually throws the vehicle into a swing, making it face where it was coming from. So, it should never be used to brake when a vehicle is in motion.
A hand-brake should be applied only when a vehicle is stationary.
While in a traffic jam, or at the traffic lights, do not use the foot brake to hold the vehicle stationary. This illuminates the rear brake lights, which flashes right into the eyes of the driver behind you and they may be dazzled. In this circumstance, the hand-brake should be applied.
When holding your foot on the brake paddle while the vehicle is stationary, it can easily slip off if your shoe is wet or if you are pumped from behind. You could then ram into another car or knock down a pedestrian. The use of hand brake is even more important in vehicles fitted with automatic transmission.
The hand brake will help avoid the possibility of ‘creep’ and that of the vehicle surging forward is the accelerator is pressed accidentally while in D (Drive).
Last week, we looked at the good braking and emphasised slow and progressive braking as the key to a safe stop. It is true that under normal conditions, a good driver does not to brake really hard.
However, emergencies can happen and progressive braking may not be applicable, or useful.
For instance, when a child runs into the road infront of you. You must know how to stop quickly under control. Stopping in an emergency increases the risk of skidding.
In an emergency, a quick reaction is crucial. The sooner you start braking, the sooner you should stop! When faced with a situation that requires emergency stopping, try the following:
l Keep both hands on the steering. You need as much control as possible.
l Avoid braking so hard that you lock any of the wheels. A skid sideways or a wheel sliding may cause serious loss of control.
l Do not touch the clutch pedal until just before you stop. This helps with your braking and stability.
l Do not touch the hand brake. Most hand-brakes work on the back wheels only. Extra braking here can cause skidding.
However, consider the condition of the road as you decide whether to brake hard or progressively. If the road is dry, you should apply firm pressure, but on a wet road or loose surface, you should avoid using much. This means you will need to reduce speed and increase your separation distance from the vehicle in front.
When braking in an emergency, avoid the following:
l Do not signal, you need both hands to control the steering.
l Do not make a special point of looking in the mirror, you should know what is behind you.
l Stop as quickly and safely as possible, keeping your car under control.
l Look all round before moving off again.
As a measure of defensive driving, always drive at such a speed that you can stop safely at the distance you can see to be clear. If it is not clear, slow down. Always prepare for the unexpected. Drive slowly where you expect children to emerge any time, especially during school rush hours. The same is true where you expect animals to emerge, especially in animal parks.
Some people have panicked during emergencies and applied the hand brake. This locks the rear wheels and usually throws the vehicle into a swing, making it face where it was coming from. So, it should never be used to brake when a vehicle is in motion.
A hand-brake should be applied only when a vehicle is stationary.
While in a traffic jam, or at the traffic lights, do not use the foot brake to hold the vehicle stationary. This illuminates the rear brake lights, which flashes right into the eyes of the driver behind you and they may be dazzled. In this circumstance, the hand-brake should be applied.
When holding your foot on the brake paddle while the vehicle is stationary, it can easily slip off if your shoe is wet or if you are pumped from behind. You could then ram into another car or knock down a pedestrian. The use of hand brake is even more important in vehicles fitted with automatic transmission.
The hand brake will help avoid the possibility of ‘creep’ and that of the vehicle surging forward is the accelerator is pressed accidentally while in D (Drive).