Cruising down the road with your mind on your grocery list, and a little girl darts out of nowhere and runs in front of your car in pursuit of an escaped ball. Wouldn't you be thankful that your car stopped when you stomped on the pedal, just in the nick of time? Just imagine driving a car without your brakes. More accidents, going past your destination, hence terrible tempers. Not a pretty picture, is it? Fluctuating brakes can cause a lot of ugly scenarios, and the bottom line is, you have no business being on the road if your brakes are less than a hundred percent functional.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), approximately 1.2 million (2004) people meet their demise in road accidents every year, and the rate of people who are injured in accidents can go up to as much as 50 million. Studies show that these figures are expected to skyrocket by about 65% over the next 20 years. A lot of car accidents are attributed to mechanical difficulties, for instance, engine defects, hindered visibility, or brake failures. The earliest record of a car accident fatality is the death of Mary Ward, a scientist who fell under their home made steam car. The steel wheels of the steam car ran over her, resulting to her fatal injury, which was a broken neck.
Brakes, as we all know, are used to slow down or halt the movement of vehicles. They are also utilized to keep the vehicle from moving again. Kinetic energy increases with the square of the velocity, which means that brakes must dissipate a quadruple of that energy to stop it. Most brakes are fitted for wheeled vehicles such as trucks, vans, car, trains, and bikes.
The earliest braking systems work by using steel rimmed wheels to halt vehicles. They were composed of an arched wooden block, engineered to press against the steel tire and controlled by a leverage mechanism from the driver's seat. This primary system was dubbed as the "brake shoe." It was the common way of halting a steam locomotive or a horse drawn vehicle, utilizing rods and pivots to operate them. Then, in 1895, the Michelin Brothers' pneumatic rubber tires began to oust steel rimmed wheels, and the brake shoes were no longer satisfactory for use, which hence prompted them to cook up new braking systems.
Over the years,
brakes were developed and continuously upgraded to more efficient systems to provide more assurance for safety. Some of these improvements include the anti-lock braking system, the brake assist, cornering brake control, dynamic brake control, and the inboard braking system.
The anti-lock braking system keeps the wheels from locking while braking, permitting the driver to maintain control over steering under severe braking. The brake assist on the other hand is developed to boost braking pressure when in emergency situations. Cornering brake control, or CBC, regulates the braking force on each of the vehicle's wheels. Speeding up the system and reinforces the application of the brakes is the main job of the dynamic brake control, while inboard brakes are strategically located near the differential instead of the wheels, simultaneously improving ride and handling with braking.
A simple thing as regulating your braking system can save a lot of lives, yours and those around you. For these reasons, keeping your brakes in perfect condition is imperative before you drive out on the freeway. There is no doubt that you will be grateful that you had the option to stop just when you really needed to.
