Yep. And knowing how to do that actually saved my ass a couple times driving an old '68 Ford. Once when approaching an icy intersection in the winter, once when towing downhill on a loose gravel road. Either time, I would have wiped out badly if I’d just jammed on the brakes as hard as I could and held them. But pumping the brakes allowed me to retain control and slow down enough to be somewhat safe. ABS does exactly the same thing … just better and faster.
(Honestly, it’s actually kind of comforting, in a way. It means that in an “Oh shit, even when I brake as hard as I can, it’s not stopping!” scenario, you actually have something you can actively do about it, an action you can take toward resolving the situation … rather than just holding on for dear life and hoping for the best.)
Yep. And knowing how to do that actually saved my ass a couple times driving an old '68 Ford. Once when approaching an icy intersection in the winter, once when towing downhill on a loose gravel road. Either time, I would have wiped out badly if I’d just jammed on the brakes as hard as I could and held them. But pumping the brakes allowed me to retain control and slow down enough to be somewhat safe. ABS does exactly the same thing … just better and faster.
(Honestly, it’s actually kind of comforting, in a way. It means that in an “Oh shit, even when I brake as hard as I can, it’s not stopping!” scenario, you actually have something you can actively do about it, an action you can take toward resolving the situation … rather than just holding on for dear life and hoping for the best.)