How an Anti-lock Breaking System (ABS) saves lives?

Brakes are one of the most important factors in a vehicle, without which it would be impossible in stopping and avoiding accidents in emergency conditions. In the old systems of braking, there were chances for a vehicle to skid during its regular pace when brakes are applied suddenly during emergencies. This, avoiding emergency itself can cause a serious injuries to the one who drives the vehicle when the vehicle skids out of the track. But, this Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS) paves a better way to stop the vehicle even without a small skid. This technology was actually invented in the middle of the 20th century. Typical ABS systems have a Electronic Control Unit (ECU) that monitors the speed of the vehicle with the speed of the wheel itself. When the speed of a wheel is found significantly lower (i.e. while braking), tending to a wheel lock, this ECU actuates the valves to depressurize the hydraulic pressure in the brakes, thus making all the wheels rotate evenly and slow down on a gradual rate for the vehicle to stop.

In the modern ABS systems, each and every wheel is applied different pressures in order to maintain stability and balance the vehicle, so that it doesn't skid. There are different types of sensors like, steering monitor sensor and gyroscopic sensors used in the modern ABS systems, used in calculating the pressure needed to be supplied to the brakes for better effectiveness. The picture in the left represents, a case with and without ABS systems. When the driver applies the brake without ABS, immediately the vehicle loses its braking control, irrespective of the it's movement as the pressure distributed is the same to all the wheels resulting in the accident. Now, in the case with ABS systems, each wheel is supplied with a different pressure respective to the movement of the vehicle thus avoiding a close call.

These ABS systems have become a mandatory equipment in most of the trucks, four wheeler vehicles. Some high-end bikes only were equipped with ABS systems earlier, but now in recent times, likely all the two wheeler vehicles moving are equipped with Anti-lock Braking Systems to avoid emergency braking accidental calls in the streets of the globe.

- Naveen Saravanan