Imagine yourself driving down the road while listening to your favorite music when all of a sudden, an unforeseen hurdle surfaces. A stray squirrel, a shopping cart, or someone who believes stop signs are merely recommendations could be the cause.

What are you doing? Either you unleash your inner driving ninja and execute the ideal emergency stop, or you panic and slam on the brakes like your life relies on it (because it kind of does). Whether you’re using advanced ABS technology or more traditional techniques, today we’re going to explore the art of stopping like a pro. Warning: this guide was not created with any squirrels hurt.

Well, it’s not that simple because it does depend on what kind of car you have. In a car with ABS, you will do it differently than in a car without ABS.

ABS stands for Anti-lock Braking System. Mercedes was the first manufacturer to fit it to a production car back in 1978, which is before I was born.

ABS is very important when you panic brake, which is the kind of braking you’re likely to do in a real emergency. When you panic brake, you’re going to brake very hard, and when you brake very hard, you are likely to skid. Skidding happens when your wheels stop turning while the car is still moving.

The problem with skidding is that you actually lose your steering. So, if you’re braking hard, skidding, and trying to turn the wheel, you won’t turn—you’ll just keep going in a straight line.

ABS prevents your wheels from skidding, which enables you to steer. This is really helpful for steering around any objects you might have otherwise hit.

If your car has ABS, simply turn the ignition on, and you should see the ABS light illuminate on your dashboard. If there’s no light, it means your car doesn’t have ABS. If the light goes out after a moment, the ABS is fine. However, if the light stays on, there’s a problem with your ABS, and you’ll need to take it to a garage to get it sorted.

In a car with ABS, all you need to do during an emergency stop is press the brake and clutch down together as hard as you can. The ABS module (or computer, the ABS “brain”) will take over the modulation of the braking and ensure you stop as quickly as possible without skidding.

You don’t need to modulate the brake yourself—in fact, you shouldn’t, as it will stop the system from working properly. Just keep your pedal pressed as hard as you can throughout the entire stop.

When the ABS activates, you’ll actually hear it. It will sound a bit like a coffee grinder—though at a slightly lower pitch. You’ll also feel the brake pedal pulsating up and down rapidly. Don’t let this scare you! Just keep your foot hard on the brake, and the ABS module will modulate the brakes for you and get you stopped.

Emergency Stop Without ABS

If you have a car without ABS, you’ll need to modulate the braking yourself.

What I mean by braking modulation is braking as hard as you can without skidding. If you sense the car is skidding, you’ll have to release the brake slightly—that’s the modulation part. You’ll then reapply the brake to keep yourself at what’s known as the “threshold of skidding.” In other words, you’re braking as hard as possible without actually skidding.

When performing an emergency stop without ABS, there are two occasions where the front wheels might slide along the road. In both cases, you’ll need to release the brakes slightly to prevent the skid.

When the car is skidding, you might notice the steering feels a little lighter, or it might just feel a bit “off.” You’ll probably hear a screeching sound from the tires, especially in warm weather.

The problem is that how hard you can brake changes daily. It depends on several factors:

• The type of car you’re driving.
• The temperature outside.
• Whether the road is wet or dry (it can take twice as long to stop in wet conditions).
• The temperature of the road, your tires, and your brakes.
• The position of the engine (front, middle, or rear).

The list goes on—there are loads of factors that affect how long it takes to stop a car and how hard you can brake. This is why ABS is so brilliant: you just press the pedal as hard as you can, and the computer figures it out for you.

To find out how hard you can brake in a car without ABS, you need to go beyond the limit to find the limit. In other words, brake very hard until you feel the car skid. This way, you’ll know for that day and those conditions how hard you can brake before skidding starts. After that, you need to try and keep it on the threshold—just about to skid, but not quite. This ensures you stop as quickly as possible while maintaining your steering to avoid any objects in your path.

Another thing to note about stopping without ABS is that you shouldn’t press the clutch down immediately. Try to avoid pressing it until the very end of the stop, as this will help with the initial braking, especially on downhill slopes.

If you stall during the emergency stop because you forgot to press the clutch, don’t worry—it’s not necessarily a fail. As long as you keep the car safe and restart it safely, you should be fine.

During the emergency stop, you need to keep the car in a straight line. Sometimes, particularly in wet conditions, the car might start to slide to the right.

If this happens, try to turn slightly to the left to get the car back on track. If the car slides to the left, turn slightly to the right. In either case, always steer in the direction you want to go.

The Highway Code says you should “steer into the skid.” Some new drivers misunderstand this and think it means steering in the direction the car is sliding, which makes things worse. Instead, think of it as steering against the skid to regain control.

After the Emergency Stop

Once you’ve finished the emergency stop, make sure you pull the handbrake up before coming off the foot brake. Also, select neutral before releasing the clutch to ensure you don’t shoot forward and stay properly stopped.

This is your crash course, if you will, for learning how to perform an emergency stop! You can now stop quickly and safely, whether you’re practicing your braking techniques without ABS or letting it do the heavy lifting.

Even if your heart is pounding faster than a turbocharged engine, keep in mind that your objective is to steer clear of obstructions, avoid skidding, and maintain composure.

So, go ahead and practice—preferably in a safe, empty parking lot. And hey, if you ever find yourself in a real-life emergency stop, you can proudly say, “I read an article about this, and I know exactly what to do!” Just don’t forget to pull over afterward and take a deep breath. You’ve earned it.