At some time, nearly every driver gets into a situation that requires hard braking.

If you have ABS, you can steer and brake at the same time. However, if you do not have ABS, your first reaction -- to hit the brake pedal hard and hold it down -- might be the wrong thing to do. Your wheels can stop rolling. Once they do, the vehicle cannot respond to your steering. Momentum will carry it in whatever direction it was headed when the wheels stopped rolling. That could be off the road, into the very thing you were trying to avoid, or into traffic.

If you do not have ABS, use a "squeeze" braking technique. This will give you maximum braking while maintaining steering control. You can do this by pushing on the brake pedal with steadily increasing pressure.

In an emergency, you will probably want to squeeze the brakes hard without locking the wheels. If you hear or feel the wheels sliding, ease off the brake pedal. This will help you retain steering control. If you do have ABS, it is different. See Antilock Brake System (ABS) .

In many emergencies, steering can help you more than even the very best braking.

Brake Assist

If your vehicle has ESC with ABS, it also has a brake assist feature that responds to emergency braking by generating additional pressure and engaging the ABS. When this happens, the brake pedal will feel easier to push. Just hold the brake pedal down firmly and let the system work for you. You might feel the brakes vibrate or notice some noise, but this is normal. The brakes will return to normal operation after the brake pedal is released.

Brake assist cannot compensate for unsafe driving practices and braking effectiveness, itself, depends on the condition of the road, tires, and brakes and vehicle mass.