Ghost cars

[You Are Guilty]

ABS prevents a tire from skidding/leaving skid marks. As a corollary, it also helps maintain the ability to steer when you slam on your brakes.

If you have ABS on the truck, either your vehicle did not leave the skid marks, or your ABS malfunctioned. (Any idiot lights illuminated on your dashboard?)

 

[HighwayMan]

Vehicles equipped with ABS can leave skid marks. They tend to be lighter and choppy, like a dashed line. The wheels do actually lock up very briefly hence the marks.

 

[HighwayMan]

JessiesGirl,

If you want to try the ABS go somewhere with snow and ice. When ABS engages you feel a rapid pulsing in the brake pedal and can hear a noise which almost sounds like you're driving over rumble strips.

Go somewhere snowy/icy/slushy where there is no danger of you hitting anything (like an empty parking lot). Find a bad patch of pavement and as you are driving over it hit the brakes hard (you don't have to be driving fast). You should be able to feel and hear the system engage as described.

ABS lets you apply full braking force without worrying about skidding and losing control. Generally braking distances are greater with ABS than without, but only for someone who is very experienced and knows how to threshold brake without ABS (that's braking hard but not hard enough to lock up the wheels for long).

ABS is a great safety feature, especially in a vehicle like a pickup which tends to have a very light rear end and is prone to fishtailing when braking on slippery surfaces.

 

[Zigner]

You don't have the right to allow YOUR emergency to become somebody elses emergency. If you cannot safely swerve, then you should not swerve. Yes, that may cause you to be hit by the other vehicle. This is a good example of how leaving a safety cushion around your car is invaluable.

 

[JessiesGirl30]

I went to look at the scene this morning and there is a long skid mark that veers off to the right about halfway thru. The skid mark is not broken up. No idiot lights on inside the cab . We've taken good care of this truck but didn't realize this might be a malfunction on the part of my vehicle.

As such, I realize that it's not a warranty issue due to the age of the vehicle, and most likely (read 100%) still my own fault for hitting the other car.

I appreciate all the help. I am about ready to give up my license I'm losing faith in my ability to drive safely. Problem is I run errands for hubby daily and it would be too much of a burden to have him do them .

Maybe I'll take a driving refresher course.

Kathy

 

[Zigner]

I went to look at the scene this morning and there is a long skid mark that veers off to the right about halfway thru. The skid mark is not broken up. No idiot lights on inside the cab . We've taken good care of this truck but didn't realize this might be a malfunction on the part of my vehicle.

As such, I realize that it's not a warranty issue due to the age of the vehicle, and most likely (read 100%) still my own fault for hitting the other car.

I appreciate all the help. I am about ready to give up my license I'm losing faith in my ability to drive safely. Problem is I run errands for hubby daily and it would be too much of a burden to have him do them .

Maybe I'll take a driving refresher course.

Kathy

It's entirely possible for your truck to have ABS on two wheels only (likely the rear). Your front wheels could have locked up and left a skid mark, while your ABS was doing it's job with the rear.

 

[You Are Guilty]

Ah yes, I had forgotten that early trucks only came with 2-wheel ABS. Could certainly explain it. But a defensive driving class is never a bad idea, even for people who haven't had an accident.

And info edit:
I have never seen a dashed line ABS skid mark, and it seems I'm not the only one. Here is a fascinating paper from some accident reconstructionists about the topic (with photos ):
http://www.easts.info/on-line/journal_06/3401.pdf

 

[butterflyrodeo]

If you have questions or want a discussion on your own accident please start your own thread.

I had a question about what she said and it was answered.
I also had a older thread about my accident and it seems to have been removed.
No need to answer this reply, thanks.