Orienteer wrote:

"Velvet" wrote in message
...

Just zis Guy, you know? wrote:


On Sun, 20 Jun 2004 20:08:54 GMT, "Richard J."
wrote in message
:



... because people driving in a vulnerable vehicle would drive more
safely? That idea didn't seem to work before seat belts were invented,
when occupants used to die by being ejected through the windscreen.
Indeed it still happens.


On the other hand, they drive less carefully when protected by
airbags, abs and seatbelts.

Guy

Not all of them do, ta :-) I don't rely on ABS to stop me quicker - I
use it to even out the fact that the car in front probably has it and
will stop quicker than I can if I don't have it... so my driving hasn't

snipped

Bit of a myth that ABS enables a vehicle to stop quicker, in fact it can
have the opposite effect. It's purpose is to enable the vehicle to be
steered while braking hard, which without ABS often results in a skid and
loss of control.



However, in the situation where the vehicle in front has ABS, and will
brake it to the maximum without inducing a skid (skidding leads to
longer stopping times?) it means that the following vehicle has to be
able to control their braking to the same fine degree to avoid starting
the skid, and many will either be too cautious or overcook and skid...

So in my experience (and I do speak from experience) when you avoid a
skid in a non-abs car and the one in front does have it, you end up
braking slower, with obvious consequences if you're close enough...


--


Velvet