First, determine whether your car or truck has ABS. This is typically very simple, since ABS-equipped cars and trucks have a dedicated ABS light on the dash. When you first turn on the key or start the vehicle, look for an amber- or yellow-colored ABS light. If you can’t find the light, but you still believe your car is equipped with ABS, then you can either consult the owner’s manual or contact your local dealership. Here are the most important things to remember to maintain safe ABS driving habits: Pumping the brake pedal during a panic stop may feel natural, but it will actually disengage the ABS so that it stops working. Since the anti-lock brake system in your car is capable of pulsing the brakes much faster than you can pump, just let it do its job. While an ABS may not be able to stop you in time to avoid a collision in every situation, the ability to maintain control, and steer through a panic stop, can allow you to safely avoid other vehicles, pedestrians, or objects in your path. If you drive a vehicle that only has rear-wheel ABS, your front wheels may still lock up during a panic stop situation. You’ll still stop shorter due to the rear ABS, but you may lose control of the vehicle if the front wheels lock up. If you find yourself unable to steer during a panic stop, and you have rear-wheel ABS, you can typically regain the ability to steer by letting up on the brake pedal long enough for the front wheels to unlock. When an anti-lock brake system engages, you will typically feel a peculiar buzzing, pulsating, or vibrating sensation on the brake pedal. That just means the system has activated, but it can be jarring the first time. If you want to see what it feels like, you can try some panic stops in an empty parking lot or another area where you are absolutely certain that there are no pedestrians or other cars around. Anti-lock bake systems are at their best on hard surfaces, which includes roads that are slick due to rain, ice, or hard-packed snow. Conversely, ABS doesn’t work as well on loose surfaces like gravel and sand. If you get into a panic stop situation in loose snow, gravel, or sand, don’t expect your ABS to stop you in time, and do your best to steer around any objects in your path. In addition to safe driving habits, a number of other systems can help in situations where ABS won’t. Systems like traction control and stability control, for example, may help if you get into a skid or are in danger of losing control in a corner, and your ABS won’t help you there. Regardless of the safety features in a car, it’s always a good idea to practice safe driving. That’s more or less true of the ABS light, but it’s still extremely important to pay attention to it. When your ABS light comes on, it usually indicates that there is an issue with one of the components in the ABS system. It could be a wheel speed sensor, or any number of other issues, and there’s no way to really diagnose the problem without pulling the codes and digging in. The important thing to remember is that a vehicle with an illuminated ABS light is usually safe to drive until you can get it into a shop for repairs, but you shouldn’t count on the ABS kicking in if you get into a panic stop situation. So if your ABS light comes on, make sure the brake fluid is full, and that the vehicle still stops normally, and then drive it carefully until you can get it inspected. If you get into a panic stop situation, and you feel the brakes lock up, be ready to pump the brakes like you would on an older car with standard brakes.
