Anti lock brakes — Missouri Permit Test

Anti lock brakes on the Missouri permit test — 4 rules, each with the reason behind it and a question on it while it is fresh.

The rules

Four-wheel anti-lock braking offers a safety advantage by preventing the wheels from locking during emergency braking.

A locked wheel skids and cannot steer. Keeping it turning is the whole of what the system does.

It offers an important safety advantage by preventing the wheels from locking during emergency braking situations.

Missouri Driver Guide, p.63

Under hard braking with anti-lock brakes you may feel a pulsing in the brake pedal, and you should keep your foot on the brake.

The pulsing is the system working. Lifting off because of it is the one thing that stops it working.

Do keep your foot on the brake.

Missouri Driver Guide, p.64

With anti-lock brakes, maintain firm and continuous pressure on the brake while steering, so the system can work properly.

Firm pressure plus steering is the combination the system was built for, and it is the one drivers find hardest to trust.

Maintain a firm and continuous pressure on the brake while steering to enable the four-wheel ABS to work properly.

Missouri Driver Guide, p.64

With anti-lock brakes, do not pump your brakes, do not forget to steer, and do not be alarmed by mechanical noises or slight pedal pulsations.

The noises and the pulsing are the system reporting for duty, not failing.

These conditions are normal and let you know the ABS is working.

Missouri Driver Guide, p.64

On the test

What does an anti-lock braking system prevent?

The wheels locking during emergency braking. A locked wheel skids and cannot steer. Keeping it turning is the whole of what the system does. Missouri Driver Guide, p.63: “It offers an important safety advantage by preventing the wheels from locking during emergency braking situations.”

How this works

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Where these come from

Every rule here is checked against Missouri Driver Guide, published by the Missouri Department of Revenue, and against the state code itself. Last checked 2026-09-16.