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Improper Steering Endangers Drivers With Antilock Brakes, Says AAA Foundation For Traffic Safety

17 October 1997

Improper Steering Endangers Drivers With Antilock Brakes, Says AAA Foundation For Traffic Safety

    WASHINGTON, Oct. 17 -- Improper steering in vehicles equipped
with antilock brakes(ABS) can send the vehicle veering dramatically out of
control, the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety has found.  "When drivers are
about to hit something, they often panic, jam on the brakes, and jerk the
wheel," says David K. Willis, president of the AAA Foundation for Traffic
Safety.  "If the car has antilock brakes it will respond to the extreme
steering and run off the road."
    The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety tested cars with and without
antilock brakes.  At 35 mph, a panic stop combined with a violent jerk of the
steering wheel caused an ABS-equipped car to dart across two lane widths,
enough to send the vehicle into oncoming traffic or off the roadway.  The same
action in a car without antilock brakes locked the wheels so the car skidded
forward in the lane but hit the obstruction.
    "In a study of crash records the National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration (NHTSA) found that ABS cars had more single-vehicle, run-off-
the-road crashes than cars without ABS, "Willis says.  "The cars without ABS
had more crashes with other vehicles, pedestrians, and cyclists."
    The Foundation's tests, conducted on August 26, 1997 at the Transportation
Research Center in East Liberty, Ohio, apparently confirm the theory that
while ABS allows drivers to steer around an obstacle in an emergency, too much
steering -- such as from jerking the wheel while braking -- sends the vehicle
out of control.
    The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety urges all drivers who have antilock
brakes to practice using them before they get into an emergency.  "ABS brakes
can be a real lifesaver," Willis says. "But they're not like regular brakes.
The only way to understand how the brakes work is to practice sudden stops in
a safe situation, on both wet and dry pavement," Willis says.  Drivers should
take their vehicles to a parking lot with no obstructions, bear down on the
brakes, and practice steering.
    The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety is a not-for-profit charitable
organization funded by donations from AAA and CAA clubs and members.  It is
devoted to preventing crashes and saving lives through research and education
in the field of traffic safety.

SOURCE  AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety