Sudden braking of the car. How to properly brake in a car

What is emergency braking?

Dedicated to Tinker's Day :)

Once, in late autumn, when the thermometer was jumping positive during the day and negative at night, Masha was returning from work late in the evening. There was a stretch of road a few hundred meters from her house...

Winter surprises or how does the day of the tinker come about? (Real story)

Once, in late autumn, when the thermometer was jumping positive during the day and negative at night, Masha was returning from work late in the evening. A few hundred meters from her house, there was a stretch of road with a slight slope followed by a 90-degree turn.

According to the law of meanness, it was in this place that evening carriageway did not sprinkle with reagent, and the shiny wet asphalt under the wheels turned out to be frozen. In addition, the icy surface of the slope before the turn was polished by previously passing cars, which made it slip even more.

But Masha found out about this later, when on this very hill, out of habit, she began to slow down by smoothly pressing the brake. The car slowed down a little, but despite the studded tires, it did not think to stop. Masha pressed the middle pedal even more. Does not help. And here, as for evil, there is also a turn. And what an obsession! The car treacherously drove straight, despite the steering wheel twisted to the side ...

It was the first car for an extreme situation on the ice. She hasn't been out in the winter yet.
My friend still drove to her house that evening, but with a tattered front bumper, a crushed fender and a broken headlight. And the pillar standing alone at the end of the turn was carelessly marked with a silver abrasion.

“I knew how to slow down properly!” she repeated over and over...

Hide...

How to slow down in a critical situation?

Sometimes the situation on the road changes so suddenly that the driver has no choice but to "hit the brakes". In this case, it happens that due to incorrect actions of the brake pedal, the car still reaches the obstacle. And everyone hears "BA-A-AMS" :(

Emergency braking is, as you probably guessed, nothing more than a sharp, emergency braking applied to slow down the car as much as possible.

Reference

When you press the brake pedal, both the front and rear wheels of the car are braked. If at the same time at least one wheel is blocked, then an increase in the braking distance and a skid of the car are almost inevitable. When the front wheels are locked, everything else, the car stops turning (does not respond to turning the steering wheel).

Braking on the verge of locking the wheels gives maximum deceleration efficiency, minimum braking distance and avoids all of the above disadvantages, i.e. is the perfect brake.

ABS(Eng. Anti-lock breaking system - anti-lock braking system) - a complex electronic-mechanical system that prevents blocking (skid) of the vehicle's wheels during braking. If the yellow ABS icon lights up on the dashboard of your car when you turn the ignition key, then you have this system installed. If it is working properly, this icon will go out after a few seconds. The presence of ABS can also be recognized by a very light and sensitive brake pedal.

Often on a car without ABS the primary reflex of any unprepared person in a critical situation to put pressure on the brake pedal leads to terrifying consequences.

It is from this innate reflex of the driver, which took away many human lives, we will begin our acquaintance with the basic rules of braking.

So please take this article seriously. And if necessary (and most likely necessary), then check that you have exactly the right skills to work with the brake pedal. for their development are given at the end of the article.

Rules for operating the brake pedal emergency braking quite different depending on the presence or absence of an electronic ABS assistant in your car. You can't download yourself extra information and then carefully read only the sections of this article that are suitable for you.

How to brake urgently on a car with ABS? Advantages of ABS

The vast majority of foreign cars sold are equipped with an ABS system. And if you have just such a car, then you are lucky :)

On a car with ABS during emergency (sharp) braking, the “break the pedal” rule applies. Brake pedal, of course :) If your car also has a clutch pedal, then break two at the same time * until it comes to a complete stop (!).

To reduce the braking distance, the pressing force must be maximum from the very beginning of emergency braking. You will feel the operation of the ABS by twitching the brake pedal and a rather unpleasant chirping sound, similar to a crunch. Don't be afraid - it's normal work of the above system, we continue that there is strength to press the pedal to a complete stop.
________
* - For correct operation ABS system during emergency braking, it is recommended to press exactly the two listed pedals at the same time, excluding the engine from the braking process.

If you need to stop quickly, then even on an icy surface, the same rule applies: press the brake all the way and do not let go (!) Until it comes to a complete stop. In this case, the vehicle electronics will calculate and apply the programmed braking mode for the driver.

In no case should you get rid of the natural reflex to press the brake all the way “to the floor” on a car with ABS!

Advantages of ABS during emergency braking:

• in most cases, the length of the braking distance is reduced;
• the car with such braking reacts to the turns of the steering wheel, while maintaining controllability;
• in a turn with such braking, the car does not go into a skid * or demolition;
• the driver is not required to have special braking skills (in the vast majority of cases).

_________
* - If the skid is not due to braking, then the ABS will be powerless. (For example, often the cause of skidding in a turn is an incorrectly selected speed and subsequent excessive turning of the steering wheel, etc.). Cornering is a very inappropriate place to brake, regardless of your vehicle's equipment.

Attention!
Familiar to many professional drivers, the reflex of intermittent application of the brake in an emergency can easily increase the braking distance on a car with ABS!

In a second, ABS is capable of performing a series of 12 brake impulses, and even an extra-class race car driver is no more than 8. Therefore, when braking in a straight line on even, uniform surfaces (asphalt, wet asphalt, even ice, etc.), it is usually possible to defeat the electronics in the length of the brake path is not realistic. But on mixed surfaces, especially those covered with snow, not everything is so simple.

How does ABS work? Basic working principle

Two conditions are required for ABS to operate: a depressed brake pedal and at least one wheel that has momentarily stopped*.
If both conditions are met, then the electronics immediately intervene in braking and, oddly enough, slightly release the brake pads on the locked wheel.

The task of ABS is to provide braking on the verge of blocking the wheels, thereby maintaining the controllability of the car.

_________
* - a complex algorithm for the operation of the electronics of the anti-lock braking system also probably provides for its operation without stopping the wheels, but on dry pavement, as a result of its operation, you can almost always detect strokes of a short-term skid (blocking) of the wheels.

Disadvantages (cons) ABS

Having ABS on board is great, but just in case, know and remember about the disadvantages of such a system, because. some of them are significant.

1. On rough roads (potholes, paving stones, rocky surfaces), the ABS performance is reduced. This leads to an increase (!) braking distance.

This is due to the fact that on uneven sections the “jumped” wheel is blocked much earlier than when braking on a flat road. It is at this moment, when the wheel is approaching and has minimal grip, that the ABS gives the command to release the brake pads. But further, when the wheel lands, its grip increases, and the braking force is already suboptimal - reduced by electronics.

On uneven road sections, there are few options to counteract this disadvantage: we reduce the speed to a similar section or - after (on a flat surface). A safe distance is a matter of course.

Is it possible to use impulse braking if the ABS does not work satisfactorily?
But here the opinions of experts differ: some argue that intermittent pressing of the brake pedal on such cars will not bring a positive result, others admit it, but argue that the old generation ABS will only respond to the full release of the brake pedal. The gain in stopping distance in this case remains rather doubtful. How to check? Probably only practically on a specific car. I haven't tested mine yet :) So the question remains open.

2. Mixed coatings with different grip properties also lead to reduced ABS performance. Sometimes to a significant (!). A striking example non-uniform coverage: asphalt - ice - asphalt - snow - puddle.

On more slippery surfaces, the wheels lock up earlier, which leads to excessive release of the brake pads in the subsequent section. In other words, the ABS in this case cannot quickly respond and select the optimal braking force for a particular small section of the road. Undoubtedly, this leads to an increase in the braking distance.

The same measures of struggle - increased distance, and, ideally, reduced speed to a similar section.

3. When braking on loose, loose surfaces, ABS interferes and usually significantly increases the braking distance!
It can be a sandy or gravel road, or even a snow-covered road(!).

On such surfaces, when skid braking, a compacted “roller” is raked in front of the wheel, for example, from the same snow that will stop the wheel faster, the so-called plow effect occurs. Those. on loose surfaces, skidding is more effective.

4. ABS stops working before stopping. Watch out for slippery slopes!

The fourth minus of ABS is that it turns off at speeds below 5-7 km / h and for some driving conditions (for example, when you roll down a slippery slope), this fact must be taken into account.

That is, for example, in winter, on an icy exit to an underground parking lot, you applied braking to the floor. A car with pulsating ABS continues to slowly and steadily roll down the hill and does not want to stop until the end. This can happen on slippery slopes*.

How to be? And here I don't even know how to come up with a way out. Handbrake? Maybe. Intermittent braking? Maybe ... On a car with automatic transmission in such situations, I think that it is preferable to slow down in "Neutral" ("N" mode). Thank God that similar conditions are not often found.

5. One of the biggest disadvantages of ABS is, perhaps, the illusion that car owners have of the infallibility of this system. Now, obviously, you have realized that this is far from the case!

Usually on expensive cars anti-lock systems“smarter”, and there will be more electronic assistants. On budget cars, their performance
per last years although it has increased significantly, but still on individual surfaces, especially snowy ones, their performance is not ideal.

The main advantage of ABS is that during emergency braking, the car reacts to steering turns and in most braking situations “to the floor” it nevertheless reduces the braking distance, thereby providing more chances to avoid an accident.

Winter surprises or how does the day of the tinker come about? (Continuation)

Let's return to the case with Masha described at the beginning. You probably guessed that our heroine's car was without ABS. And, what is most interesting, Masha theoretically knew perfectly well how to brake correctly on slippery surfaces. She solved exam tickets with ease, with virtually no errors, and had heard about intermittent braking more than once.

But in the summer, while learning to drive, no one instilled in her this vital skill for winter, and not only for winter, driving.

What can I say ... Even drivers with experience over the summer wean from the winter driving style and often lose the necessary braking skills on slippery surfaces!

Hide...

How to brake urgently on a car without ABS?

If your car does not have ABS, then you yourself will have to be a similar system and control the moment the wheels lock when braking.

How to reduce the braking distance?

Each of us heard the squeal of the tires of a decelerating car. And of course, everyone saw the black marks on the pavement left after such a stop.
Such wheel-lock braking is ineffective and often even dangerous, especially when used on slippery surfaces or at high speeds.

Wheel lock brakingdangerous because:

• increases the stopping distance (sometimes significantly);
• almost always leads to skidding of the car (its rotation);
• when the front wheels are locked, the car does not respond to steering turns (not steerable);
• on a turn, such braking leads to the demolition of the car (the car is also not controlled).

Wheel lock can occur not only on slippery surfaces. Even on dry pavement at a relatively low speed, a sharp application of the brake will lead to skid braking, with a full range of all the negative consequences.

When braking in this way, the wheel tire during friction with the road surface heats up to such an extent that it begins to melt and even burn. Of course, you will not see flames - not those speeds - but smoke is easy.

It is clear that melting rubber, like cheese in the oven, is not particularly effective. When skid braking on ice or packed snow at the point of their contact with the wheel, a layer of water necessarily appears, which almost always leads to uncontrolled skidding and requires greater distance to stop than when braking... to the point of locking the wheels.

The most effective braking is braking on the verge of wheel lock!

What does braking on the verge of blocking mean?

This means that you are pressing on the brake with such a force that it still allows the wheels to spin, but on the verge of stopping them, i.e. if you press the pedal a little harder, the wheels will lock (stop).

When braking on the verge of blocking, the surface of the tire in contact with the road is different at each moment of time, which prevents the temperature at the point of contact from rising to a critical level.

In practice, it is unrealistic to catch the “edge of blocking” by pressing the brake with a certain constant force. Why? Yes, because at the slightest decrease in speed, this “line” comes with a different effort. Therefore, experienced drivers, even ABS itself, apply

And in order to be able to slow down in this way, i.e. effectively, you must definitely learn to feel the moment of blocking the wheels, regardless of the road surface.

Signs of wheel lock when braking:

• wheel vibration occurs or vehicle deceleration worsens*;
• there was a sound of tires scratching on the surface of the road or their screech;
• there was a skid of the car, he stopped responding to the steering wheel (turn);

__________
* - Usually on slippery surfaces at the moment of blocking, the deterioration of deceleration is especially clearly felt. The car first reacts to braking, and then at some point the brakes seem to disappear - the wheels break into a slip. This is the very moment of blocking!

How to brake properly in a car without ABS?
The main methods of braking in critical situations

Depending on the traffic conditions and the need, drivers apply various ways braking, but, as a rule, they all come down to various variations, or a combination of the following three main methods.

Hard braking (aka emergency)

It is usually used in emergency situations when it is necessary to quickly stop the car. This type of braking is suitable for even surfaces with more or less good grip: asphalt, wet asphalt, etc.

• We hit the brake hard. The better the grip, the later the wheels will go into skid.

Effective deceleration with such braking occurs only until the wheel locks occur.

If you feel the wheels lock (tire screeching, vibration or suddenly reduced deceleration), you should immediately reduce the pressure on the brake pedal* and start impulsive braking - intermittent pressing the pedal.

By doing this, you will avoid prolonged skidding of the wheels and, thereby, eliminate its negative consequences (skid, uncontrollability, increase in stopping distance).
__________
* - In a critical situation, releasing the brake pedal is not as easy as it seems, especially if there is very little space to stop. Even experienced drivers, frightened, sometimes press the brakes with all their might. Only practical training and, as they say, cold calculation will protect against such erroneous actions.

Impulse braking is performed in at least two ways.

Step braking

Be ready to apply it at the initial moment of using the wheels on any surface, and especially on slippery surfaces: packed snow, ice, etc. This method braking is very effective, but requires skill.

• Push your foot on the brake pedal. It is necessary to press the pedal until the skid occurs, and then you should immediately release it a little. As soon as you feel the disappearance of the blockage, press again.

Press .. Let go a little ... Press ... Let go a little ...

• Using the steering wheel, if necessary, we correct the trajectory of the car, while trying to avoid turning the steering wheel at the moment the wheels lock.

The very first pedal press should be as short as possible to avoid prolonged use. So to say to them you produce "reconnaissance coverage" and enough effort to skid.

It turns out that we, as it were, catch the “edge of wheel blocking”, preventing a long slip and at the same time constantly applying braking force to the pedal.
At the same time, you yourself choose for yourself a comfortable frequency and duration of pressing, depending on external conditions, but usually, the more slippery the coating, the more often there should be shocks. (As the speed decreases, their frequency can be reduced, and the duration increased).

Intermittent braking

It is used on broken or uneven road surfaces (potholes, etc.), as well as in places where sections of coatings with different slipperiness alternate. For example: asphalt - ice - asphalt - rolled snow, etc.

• Push your foot on the brake pedal, fully releasing it each time. In this case, you should press the pedal until the skid of the wheels occurs.

Press... Fully release... Press... Fully release...

• At the moment of releasing the wheels, if necessary, by turning the steering wheel, we correct the trajectory of the car (taxi).

It differs from the previous method in that here each pressing of the pedal ends with a complete cessation of braking.

It is desirable to release the pedal exactly on the potholes of the road (when the front wheels come into contact with an obstacle) or on a more slippery surface, where it is not desirable to brake.
The moment of pressing the pedal in this case falls on surfaces that are more preferable for braking (flat sections of the road or places with better grip). On them, if necessary, you can apply

This deceleration method is less effective than the previous one, but easier to perform. Therefore, use it either on the above areas, or on any surface with sufficient margin in the distance.

What to do if the car skids?

If during braking the car skids, it is necessary to stop the started braking and immediately correct the trajectory of movement by turning the steering wheel, turning the wheels in the direction of skidding. Ideally, when leveling the car, it is better not to brake at all. Those. one thing: either we turn the steering wheel, or we brake.

When to depress the clutch pedal?

On a car without ABS during emergency braking, you can forget about the clutch pedal! Yes, the car will stall at this stop. But the deceleration efficiency will be greater, because. in addition to pedal braking, engine braking is added. Ideally depress the clutch immediately before stopping, and when

It is necessary to be able, and not just to know! Knowledge in the head, skills in the body

Do not think that after getting acquainted with various methods of braking, you automatically learned how to properly brake on a real car. Skill (automatism) is developed only in the process of numerous trainings (repetition of the same actions).

Therefore, to get real positive results, you need to find time, choose a safe place and work out the right skills. And from time to time to replenish (remember) them, especially before the winter season. An icy area would be ideal for such exercises, because. it is on it that you can very well feel the moment of blocking the wheels and develop the right skills to stop the car. But if one is not available, then even dry asphalt is suitable for a start.

All of these exercises are best performed at a relatively low speed. The main thing here is to develop the so-called muscle memory.

Exercising in a car with ABS

Having accelerated and sharply pressing the brake, try to feel the moment of ABS operation, work out the “break the pedal” principle. Those. depress the brake pedal as hard as you can until it comes to a complete stop.

If you initially did not have the habit of intermittently pressing the brake pedal, then you can not be zealous with training - in an extreme situation with a fright, you will press the brakes as it should.

If you have a habit of intermittently pressing the brake pedal, for example, you moved from a simpler car, then you will have to try hard. It will be necessary to unlearn the initial skill and learn how to press the brakes with a constant effort without releasing the pedal.

Exercising in a car without ABS

Having accelerated and sharply applied the brake, try to get rid of the reflex to press the pedal with all your strength, and at the first sign of wheel lock, practice intermittent shock pedal pressing. You can consolidate such a skill with any more or less sharp braking, not even a real road.

On the court, also practice different methods and compare the difference in deceleration when using different methods.

If there is ice under the wheels, then at low speed try to practice braking while turning the steering wheel (avoiding an obstacle). Compare the difference in car handling when skid braking.

Whether your car is equipped with electronic assistants or not, in any case, you should not forget that the length of the braking distance, first of all, depends on the speed of movement and the condition of the road surface. Moreover, a wet coating increases the braking distance by about 1.5 times, rolled snow or ice by 3-5 times (!).

In any case, a safe distance, speed and timely danger forecast should be above all!

Reconnaissance in combat. Some tricks of experienced drivers.

At times, usually in winter, it becomes necessary to make sure on the go how well the wheels cling to the road.

The surest and most reliable way is to press the brake pedal while driving in a straight line at a relatively low speed and feel the moment the wheels start to lock (ABS is activated). I think it is unnecessary to remind you of the need to look in the rear-view mirror beforehand and make sure that such braking is safe.

Usually at the first frost this is the most fast way determine whether the road is wet under the wheels or a thin layer of water has turned into ice. And this is possible already at a temperature +3ºС overboard. Bridges and flyovers are the first to freeze, they are above the ground and are better blown, so they cool faster.

With such simple training (preferably starting on the site), you can develop a sense of grip on wheels with various surfaces and, along the way, train your eye in determining the necessary distances to stop from different speeds. So to speak, gain experience. But do not forget about security measures.

Try not to brake sharply on the road marking lines, because. you can slip and beware of freshly laid asphalt. A thin bituminous film on its surface will "lubricate" any braking.

Suddenly activated ABS or, worse, squealing wheels when braking - this is a signal that you made a mistake in assessing the grip of the wheels with the road. For an experienced driver, there are practically no such surprises, as well as sharp braking in other matters.

I wish you less unexpected situations on the road!

Most drivers apply the brakes before performing a certain maneuver (turning, stopping, etc.) or in a specific traffic situation (traffic lights, traffic jams, pedestrians, uneven road surfaces, etc.)

In the first case, everything is simple - before performing the maneuver, we show the turn and begin to slow down. More ambiguous situation with reading traffic situations. Although modern cars are equipped, which reduces the operating time brake system, much also depends on the reaction speed of the driver himself. A common cause of difficult traffic situations and accidents is the long reflections of drivers who hesitated to brake or were not prepared to perform it.

Now let's figure out how to properly brake a car. The most important thing that a novice driver needs to learn is that pressing the brake pedal should be done without. The clutch pedal should only be depressed at low speeds. This technique provides the following benefits:

1. As the motor is activated, braking performance is increased.
2. The load on the brake system (pads, discs, tires) is reduced.
3. Overheating of the brake system is excluded.
4. Blocking of wheels is excluded, the probability of skidding of a car is reduced.

Moreover, braking in summer and winter should be the same. You need to understand that braking without depressing the clutch is safer at any time of the year and under any conditions. Especially if you master impulse braking and use it all the time. There are the following varieties of this method:

1. Intermittent impulse braking - somewhat different in duration, strength and number of brake pedal depressions.
2. Impulse braking with increased effort - the first presses are short and weak, subsequent presses are longer and stronger. This technique is used in case of poor grip on the road.
3. Stepped impulse braking with a decrease in effort - the first pressing is as long and strong as possible, subsequent pressings are shorter and weaker in order to slow down. This technique is used for strong traction.

Always assess the situation behind you before braking. In heavy traffic, it is useful to first lightly touch the brake pedal several times to flash the brake lights. If your vehicle is not equipped with ABS, try to prevent the wheels from locking up by relieving pressure on the brake pedal. During emergency braking, the car can change direction, so you need to be ready to make steering adjustments.

If you want to brake on poor road surfaces, go over bumps first and pedal on level ground to avoid damaging the suspension. After overcoming deep puddles, do not forget to dry the brakes. To do this, lightly press the brake pedal several times.

The road is fraught with many unforeseen situations that may require an instant reaction from the driver. And for the most part, if there is an obstacle or other obstacle in the way of the car, you will need to either change the direction of the car, or quickly slow down. Many believe that the main factor that allows you to avoid an accident is the reaction of the driver, they say, if he presses the brake pedal in time, the car will have time to stop before the obstacles on the road. However, as practice shows, just pressing the brake pedal is not enough. It is important to know the braking technique, which is used depending on the distance to the obstacle, on the road surface, on the season. Therefore, in this article we will talk about existing methods efficient braking.

The techniques that we will consider are suitable for all types of cars that are equipped with electronic braking assistants and do not have them. We will cover methods such as heavy braking, combined braking and stepped braking. Next, let's talk a little about each separately.

Intensive braking

This method of braking is best suited if the vehicle is moving at a speed of 100 km/h or more. Of course, it can only be used on straight sections of paved roads. The point is that you sharply press the brake pedal to the maximum and hold it until the car starts to slide, or, as drivers say, “go skid”. Next, you release the brake pedal to restore traction to the road surface, and then slam on the brakes again. Of course, to use this method of braking, you need to practice a little. To do this, on a straight section of the road, it is necessary to accelerate the car to a speed of 60 km / h. Pressing the brake pedal sharply, hold it until the car maintains a straight line of motion. You have to catch that moment so that the car does not go into a skid, but at the same time brakes effectively. After a couple of trial runs, you will probably be able to understand when to release the brake pedal to restore stability to the car, and then press again to stop completely. Having mastered this method, you will be able to stop as efficiently and quickly as possible. vehicle, if the interference occurred, for example, on the track.

Combined braking

Actually, from the name of this method it is clear that when braking, not only the braking system of the car, but also the engine will be involved. Yes, the engine can also be effectively braked. This method of braking is one of the most effective. It can be used for non-straight sections of the road, for any road surface, including snow. The main advantage of this method is that the wheels of the car will not go into the skid, the car will not be in a skid, which means it will retain its stability.

How is combined braking, or engine braking, performed? Suppose you are driving a car at a speed of 80 km / h, you have 4th gear on. Halfway you need to press the brake pedal, then switch to third gear. Without releasing the brakes, switch to second, first and continue braking in first gear until the car comes to a complete stop.

Using the combined method of braking, you can significantly reduce the braking distance of the car.

Stepped braking method

This method is recommended for novice drivers. It allows you to feel the capabilities of the braking system of the car. In addition, the instructor recommends this method of braking on slippery road surfaces. Its meaning is to repeatedly press the brake pedal, giving a different effort.

So, in step braking, it is necessary to repeatedly press the brake pedal, at approximately the same interval. The first pressing should be the strongest, then weaker and weaker. In fact, in this way of braking, you will simulate the work ABS systems, and with proper stepped braking, your car will not go into a skid. At the same time, it is important to observe the smoothness of braking so that the car does not peck at the front end of the road, but moves and brakes evenly, without sharp jerks and swaying. That's when you manage to slow down in a stepped way of braking, while maintaining a smooth ride, then you can consider that you have fully mastered this method.