What is the most important thing to remember about emergency braking?

What is the most important thing to remember about emergency braking?

• A. If the wheels are skidding you cannot control your vehicle
• B. You should slam the accelerator to regain traction
• C. You can steer normally while braking hard in a skid
• D. Emergency braking never causes a loss of control

Answer: (A)

When you brake hard in an emergency, the key idea is that you must keep the tires rolling to maintain control. If the wheels lock and start skidding, you lose steering ability and the vehicle can slide straight ahead, making it much harder to avoid a crash. This is why the most important reminder is that once you’re skidding, you cannot reliably steer or control where the vehicle will go. If your vehicle has anti-lock brakes (ABS), you can brake hard and still steer, because ABS prevents wheel lock by pulsing the brakes. If there’s no ABS, the correct approach is to brake firmly and, if the wheels begin to lock, release briefly to stop the skid, then reapply. The other statements aren’t accurate: slamming the accelerator during braking won’t help; you cannot steer normally in a skid; and emergency braking can involve loss of control if traction is lost.

When you brake hard in an emergency, the key idea is that you must keep the tires rolling to maintain control. If the wheels lock and start skidding, you lose steering ability and the vehicle can slide straight ahead, making it much harder to avoid a crash. This is why the most important reminder is that once you’re skidding, you cannot reliably steer or control where the vehicle will go.

If your vehicle has anti-lock brakes (ABS), you can brake hard and still steer, because ABS prevents wheel lock by pulsing the brakes. If there’s no ABS, the correct approach is to brake firmly and, if the wheels begin to lock, release briefly to stop the skid, then reapply. The other statements aren’t accurate: slamming the accelerator during braking won’t help; you cannot steer normally in a skid; and emergency braking can involve loss of control if traction is lost.