Originally posted by RoadRunner:
Originally posted by Contouraholic:
I find it interesting that Mercedes has added some programming to add full brake application pressure to emergency braking (via the ABS pump) because some people with ABS aren't pushing the peddle hard enough. Even ABS takes a little skill.
This is because the people who own vehicles with ABS, aren't told by their dealers
that they NEED to practice stopping with the ABS system in their cars,
to become accustomed to how it feels.
They are still pumping the pedal, like the old braking system !
When I worked at a Buick Dealer, we would take the customers out to a big and emtpy parking lot
and let them feel what ABS activation felt like.
If you NEVER have an emergency stop,
and you NEVER have any experience
using the equipment you have,
then how can you use it safely ?
Invoking ABS training should be part of a defensive driving course,
as well as delivery of an ABS equipped vehicle.
My In-laws drove a car for several years without even knowing it had ABS. A little time after I learned this, I heard a report that some people were getting on the brakes in an emergency, hearing the ABS cycle for the first time, getting scared of the noise, and letting off. Or, pumping the brakes (which was always dumb, IMHO) just like they were taught in drivers' ed back in the 70's. (I used to think drivers' ed was gospel, too, about 20 years ago.)
Dealers need to do a better job, and people need to take responsibility for understanding their equipment, ABS, TC, or not. Too many people treat their cars like a washing machine instead of like an airplane.
As for me, I love my ABS, and I'm glad I have it. But like Rara says, it's a safety net. I wish I could turn it off for autocrosses, just so I could experiment, but otherwise, on the street, it's just as well that it stays on.
