Accident-ABS failed?

owen_money

supermum38 wrote: »

Thank you all for your input. As usual I am reminded off what happens on here...

So some answers to your comments. I have driven just as many cars with ABS as without. I am aware of the difference and prefer ABS. I have had accidents in both types and know the difference ABS makes. This is only the second time I am at fault.

I loved this bit, you do sound very experienced in accidents, I bow to your knowledge

supermum38 wrote: »

My research has explained that airbags generally only deploy over 25mph. So if I was doing less than that was I driving too fast? We had both just left a traffic light and the driver in front went to pull out past parked cars then suddenly braked just behind them. I was paying attention and hit the brakes hard but could not steer the car.

25mph is the speed at impact, you could have been doing 100mph then braked to 20mph before impacting, or being doing 20mph and not braked at all. Anyway what do I know, you have much more experience of accidents than me, I'm just a rookie

motorguy

supermum38 wrote: »

My research has explained that airbags generally only deploy over 25mph. So if I was doing less than that was I driving too fast? We had both just left a traffic light and the driver in front went to pull out past parked cars then suddenly braked just behind them. I was paying attention and hit the brakes hard but could not steer the car.

The reality is, in a low speed accident and at close proximity to the car in front you were never going to be able to steer round the car in front in the split second or so between you braking and you hitting the car in front.

If you're telling us the car skidded for maybe 20-30 yards down the road before the impact then yes, the ABS might not have been working, but you've already told us you were doing a low speed so that pretty much rules that out.

Also, ABS systems will almost always display error messages on the dash if the system perceives it cant work. ABS as a system is working all the time when you are driving so the odds of it failing the split second you were braking heavily AND not having errored before AND not then subsequently errored because of that failure are close to nil.

Muscle750

A word of warning here , recently came across a case of a woman who said her brakes had failed on her Audi after running into someone , both cars suffered significant damage. Her insurance company because she said brakes failed got her car inspected by Audi who said no fault was evident. The insurance company put this to her and she admitted she had given incorrect information..................They threw her claim out !!!!! The other car was repaired.