A friend used to say “Brakes are overrated.” Of course, as an aircraft mechanic for the Marines, he also used to say of aircraft that “wings are overrated.” He meant nothing of the kind. In fact, he was joking because, in truth, whether talking about brakes or wings, he was talking about something that is absolutely essential to the vehicle.

Since most of us here in McHenry don’t fly Harrier Jump Jets, the reference here is to automobiles and brakes. In the middle of the summer, you want your brakes to work and work well. You hope you don’t need them in an emergency situation but, if you do, you want to know they’ll do their job as expected and help to keep you out of trouble.

Imagine you’re driving down the street on a sunny afternoon in July. You’re approaching an intersection while listening to some of your favorite tunes on the radio. You’re thinking about your plans for the weekend, maybe. Or something you plan to do with your spouse or friends. You don’t expect a problem.

Unfortunately, let’s call him, Joe is driving but he’s also looking at a text on his cellphone. He’s approaching a stop sign but he’s not paying attention to the road. He’s about to blow the stop sign, which will bring him and his vehicle right in front of you.

You’re doing 45 or 50 mph, whatever the speed limit on that busier road you’re traveling. You don’t expect Joe and his car to jump out in front of you but there he is. It happens so suddenly, it’ll take a miracle to avoid an accident – a miracle, quick reflexes and a good set of brakes.

Now take that scenario and run the clock forward until it’s late January, like right now. One difference is that it’s colder outside. Even if the streets are dry, with the colder weather, the rubber tires you’re rolling on are likely harder. They’re not going to grab the way they would in summer. But, if there is ice and/or snow on the pavement, we’re talking a completely different ballgame.

You want good tires, in other words. And you absolutely must have good brakes.

You’re going to have to react quickly. Hopefully, there’s no one else in the car with you, such as your children. But, regardless, you want to stop before you have a collision.

Even if you can’t avoid a collision, if you can slow down enough before the impact, it can make a big difference in whether anyone is hurt, or how badly they’re hurt. It can also make a big difference in how much damage is done to the cars.

One thing going in your favor is that, in cars today, ABS brakes are standard equipment. In days gone by, before the Marines flew Harriers, cars didn’t have ABS braking systems. On slippery roads, they had to pump the brakes trying to avoid that point where the tires lost their grip on the road and the car went into an uncontrolled skid.

With ABS brakes, the brakes are pumped automatically. And they’re pumped far faster than any human could manage. All you have to do, as the driver, is hit the brakes hard and hold. 

Of course, for McHenry drivers, hitting the brakes hard and holding in an emergency depends on whether the brakes are in good condition and the ABS braking system is operating properly. Harrier mechanics check aircraft carefully. You should apply the same standard to your automobile.