A CAR behaves very well while going in a straight line, so it’s easy to press on the accelerator and build up speed.

However, with every kilometre of speed that you build up, the way your car responds to your commands changes. This will be especially true while braking, and while going around corners.

Get to know what your car does at what speed and learn to control your car at these speeds.

Almost every car being manufactured these days comes with disc brakes, which are always found on the front wheels.

Why disc brakes? And why only on the front wheels?

Disc brakes are far more efficient than drum brakes, which have been in use for the better part of the century. They last longer, the efficiency is far greater than the drum brakes, especially in wet conditions. Disc brakes have the ability to stop a car promptly. Mobikes usually have two huge disc brakes on the front wheel and a smaller disc brake at the rear.

And why the breaks only in the front wheels? Imagine a man walking with a huge and heavy bundle on his head. If you grabbed his ankle to stop him — this is what brakes do — he will have to lean forward, possibly pitch forward. The man is propelled forward at an angle of 60 degrees.

While braking, the tyres are made to slow down, but the momentum of the vehicle keeps everything else moving. This shifts the entire weight of the car and occupants to the front end of the car. The car has a tendency to nose dive. Because about 80 per cent of the weight of the car is on the front wheels it is necessary to have an efficient braking system to stop the front wheels. Hence, the disc breaks are on the front wheels. The more expensive and fast sports car have disc brakes on all four wheels.

At 60 km an hour, the braking forces or ‘g’ (for gravity) forces are 3 times more than than those at 30 km per hour. So naturally the car will behave differently. It is this "attitude" you should be aware of.

If you release the accelerator, the car will start to slow down. The engine r.p.m. begins to drop. However, the compression, which is still taking place in the engine will exert a retarding force on the wheels. This is the smoothest way to slow down and brake. And most important, it causes the least wear and tear.

Braking, especially severe braking, is rough on the vehicle. It’s rough on the tyres, the brakes, the foundation mountings and the entire body. Severe braking is also rough on the occupants. To throw your passengers around in the car is a sure sign of an unconcerned driver.

Also keep in mind that the car with front engine and front-wheel-drive behaves very different from a front engine and rear-wheel-drive car. A four-wheel-drive vehicle again has its own handling and braking habits. My friends Shashi and Vijay tell an entirely different story. They both drive a V.W. Beetle. It’s a rear-engine and rear-wheel-drive vehicle. The handling characteristics, the attitude of the car is completely different.

It’s very important to know how your personal vehicle responds to braking. It will make you a more competent and confident driver. The roads will be safer.

Happy motoring!