ABS STANDS FOR ANTI-LOCK BRAIN
DAT writes, "I'm looking at a 1992
Ford Taurus with ABS. Is it reliable and do I need it? They want
extra money for it."
Good questions, DAT. I recently had a chance
to talk about ABS with three of this country's premier endurance
race drivers, Brian Redman, three time Formula 5000 champion,
Hurley Haywood, two time winner of Le Mans and Doc Bundy, IMSA
GTP winner. At a testing session at Roebling Road Race Track
in Savannah, GA, each of these world-class professionals, who
also instruct other racers and beginners decried the continuing
ignorance about the use and utility of ABS systems, some of which
can also be found on race cars.
DOES IT WORK
Obviously, collisions occur when the distance
required to stop the car is insufficient for the speed and weight
of the car and the condition of the road. The function of an
ABS system is to prevent the wheel or wheels from locking under
extreme brake pressure, as in an emergency stop. And typically,
when this condition suddenly occurs, the driver panics and locks
the brakes, which in turn locks the tires, starts them sliding
and boom, a collision occurs. The sliding tire requires more
distance to stop than a non-sliding tire, particularly on wet
pavement.
While most testing has shown only a marginal
stopping distance advantage for ABS on dry pavement, such tests
indicate a more significant distance advantage in the wet.
But that's not the whole story. The other,
even more significant feature of the physics of braking is that
a sliding tire will not steer the car. Observe, if you will,
as you travel the byways, those neat sets of perfectly straight,
parallel black tire marks ending in a small pile of broken glass.
These are the product of locked brakes, tires and brains.
Those drivers never attempted to turn their
cars and why should they? With the tires locked and sliding the
car will only go in one direction, straight ahead into the object
the driver is staring at with bug-eyed intensity.
And here's the core of the consumer misunderstanding
of ABS. The real advantage of ABS lies in its refusal to lock
a tire which means that under maximum braking pressure, the driver
can still turn the car, IF HE CHOOSES TO DO SO.
HIGHWAY LOSS DATA INSTITUTE
The first actuarial examination of the broad
effects of ABS was conducted by the Highway Loss Data Institute
last spring. Comparing comparable domestic auto models between
those equipped with ABS and those that were not, this insurance
industry statistics gathering agency could not find a measura
ble difference in accident rates between the two. The implication,
of course, to the horror of manufacturers and safety experts,
is that ABS doesn't work to reduce accidents. This finding was
so repugnant that the parent organization of HLDI, the Insurance
Institute For Highway Safety. (IIHS) quic kly disavowed the data
as "too early" to be conclusive.
THE MISSING LINK
Haywood says, "We bring new owners
of our Porches to this track to introduce them to the capabilities
of their cars. What's often missing in the beginning, of course,
is the anti-lock brain". ABS can only really help a driver
to avoid hitting something if that driver can keep his brain
unlocked and steer around or away from an impending collision.
And any good body shop will tell you that side impacts are less
expensive to repair than frontal impacts. Emergency room physicians
will tell you the same thing.
Finally, the most frequently asked question
from parents attending our own New Driver Car Control Challenge
demonstrations are about ABS brakes and how to use them. Clearly,
until we find a way to teach motorists to avoid panic and to
manage their brakes effectively, those Highway Loss Data statistics
aren't going to change much.
So DAT, go ahead and pay the money for the
ABS, but don't assume that it will avoid a Crash like some
sort of auto-pilot. Only your own anti-lock brain can do that.
David Thompson is President
of Auto Testers, Inc., publishers of The New Driver Car Control
Clinic, a program to help parents make
their new drivers safer drivers.
Questions should be addressed to info@carcontrol.com or:
The Auto Advisor
P.O. Box 99466
Raleigh, NC 27624
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