ABS light Is On | Shall We Drive or Not?

Many times we observe an ABS light blinking or it’s ON in the dashboard while we drive. The ABS is an Anti-lock Brake System (ABS). It is a safety feature that prevents your car from locking up the breaks after a heavy breaking and maintains the contact between the road and tire. This means it’ll prevent your car from skidding. As it has an ultimate safety feature, this​ feature became mandatory for all cars in the US since 2013.  

Now, what should be done when the ABS light is ON or starts blinking?  

Should we continue to drive or stop driving? What will happen if we drive?  

Drive v/s No Drive 

Well, the answer is NO!  

One should not drive when the ABS light is ON. Although this is not so risky while you drive and the light is ON, but it can be dangerous when you hit the brake too hard because this time there is no guarantee whether you’ll skid or not? 

Let’s Understand By Example

Suppose you are on your way and the ABS light is ON, the car will still run as it was running before. Now suddenly you have to apply the brake as the pedestrian comes in your way. As there is no guarantee over the brakes, you may get into the trouble of locking up the brakes, and uncontrollably you may skid anywhere. The ABS  system prevents you from locking up the brakes and will also prevent you from skidding. 

Along with the ABS feature, your car also has another sensor known as a brake sensor. If this brake warning light is on then you need not drive and you need to change your brakes as your brakes are now worn out. But if both ABS warning and brake warning lights are ON, then it is a serious issue with the car and it is recommended that you should not drive and immediately you need to go to the certified mechanic as soon as possible and diagnose the problem.  

Why not drive when the ABS light blinks?  

The ABS is the self-checking system as programmed in the computer of the car. The computer auto checks the system and gives you the signal by blinking the light on and off several times, every time you start the car. If your ABS light is blinking while starting the car, it’s good because the system auto checks the feature every time we start the car.

Sometimes you feel the brakes are shaking or trembling, this is another sign of this self-checking feature, don’t be agitated as this is normal. If the light is still ON while driving the car, then it’s not a good sign for you. Because this time the ABS feature is not working.  When you hit the brakes hard, calipers will grasp the rotors and the brakes may be locked. The ABS prevents you from locking the brakes as it has the speed sensors which limit the amount of pressure on the rotors. Which is why we should try not to drive. 

Conclusion

So as I said, it is better not to drive while the ABS light is ON, it’ll not affect your driving but you are no safer now. Just take the car to a certified mechanic as it is a very complicated system so you shouldn’t do it on your own. But never drive in this situation because you never know when an emergency arrives so it’s better not to go out when you observe such an indication and if you are already on your journey then try to resolve your problem. This was all about the article. I hope the article guided you with good information.