Anti lock brakes — District of Columbia Permit Test

When ABS engages you will hear a rumble from the brakes and the brake pedal will vibrate under your foot.

Drivers who feel the pedal shake think something is broken and let go; knowing it is normal keeps them braking.

When the ABS engages, you will hear a rumble from the brakes and the brake pedal will vibrate under your foot.

With ABS, press down hard on the brake pedal, hold it, and steer the vehicle where you want it to go.

ABS already pumps the brakes faster than a person can, so your job is only to keep pressing and steer.

All the driver has to do is press down hard on the brake pedal, hold it, and steer the vehicle in the direction that you want it to go.

Pumping the brakes or removing steady pressure from the pedal will disengage or turn off ABS.

A driver who pumps anti-lock brakes out of old habit loses the help the system gives in keeping the wheels from locking.

Drivers should be aware that removing steady pressure from the brake pedal or pumping the brakes will disengage or turn off the ABS.

Practice using ABS so you know how your vehicle reacts to emergency braking; the best place to practice is an empty parking lot.

The first hard stop should not be a real emergency, and an empty lot has nothing to hit if it surprises you.

The best place to practice is an empty parking lot.

What happens when your anti-lock brakes engage?

The pedal vibrates. Drivers who feel the pedal shake think something is broken and let go; knowing it is normal keeps them braking. DC Driver Manual, p.54: “When the ABS engages, you will hear a rumble from the brakes and the brake pedal will vibrate under your foot.”