Know Your Car's Basic Safety System

Vehicle safety has come along way. There are so many technological advancements that have made the automobile safer than ever before. On top of cutting edge safety advancements, the price of basic safety systems has also come down, making it more accessible than before. This basic safety systems usually involve braking management as it is the frontline deterrent for accidents. 

With that being said, most of the necessary safety systems are now available in most cars and to help make the car's pamphlet smaller; the safety description has been shortened to two or three-words, so let's look at what they are in detail. You may have heard terms such as ABS, EBD, BA and ESC, but what do they mean actually? 

ABS
ABS stands for Anti-Lock Braking System. ABS prevents the wheels from fully locking up, giving you some traction during emergency braking. If the wheels lock up, the car tends to slide, and you will have no control whatsoever. This is one of the oldest safety systems for automobiles. A Frenchman named Gabriel Voisin created ABS in 1929. He was a pioneer in the aviation industry during world war one who later turned his genius to the automotive industry.

EBD
EBD is short for Electronic Brake Force Distribution. It works hand in hand with ABS as it is responsible for distributing brake power to all wheels. The EBD will automatically adjust braking on each wheel so that at least some wheels are unlocked. EBD can also increase a vehicle's traction on the road. Usually, the front end carries most of the weight, so EBD distributes less braking power to the rear so that they do not lock up and cause a skid. Some systems will apply brake pressure at the rear during initial braking.

BA
Brake Assist is a system which will swiftly apply the brakes when it senses that the driver is committing to an emergency brake. Compared to a vehicle that doesn't have a BA system, cars equipped with it most times brake faster thanks to the ECU which helps out with the braking response time. For example, when the driver stomps on the brake, the BA will kick in and add extra braking power for the driver. 

ESC
Electronic Safety Control is a system which helps to restabilise a vehicle. ESC sensors which are located at the wheels detect slipping and braking. What it does after identifying this is to restabilise the car, usually by trying to regain traction and making the car flat once again.