As we slowly come out of isolation and begin to drive our cars more, there are a few things we need to do to make sure our vehicle is road ready. The roads are getting crowded again and we need to stay safe.

Brakes are one of the most critical safety systems in our car. They keep us from plowing into objects and people. Keeping your brakes in working order requires they be checked at least once a year. But just having them checked isn’t enough; who you choose to service your brakes matters.

How do you know what condition your brakes are in? Do you wait until you hear them squealing a bit as you stop? Do you wait for a warning light to come on? Do you wait until the brake pedal feels low?

Here we are at the winter solstice, December 21, 2016. It’s the shortest day of the year. We are commuting in the dark or driving when the sun is low — at dawn in the morning or dusk in the evening — making visibility difficult. Couple this with fog, mist, ice and snow and driving becomes a real challenge.

One fall weekend, my wife and I were driving north on Interstate 270, going from Urbana to Frederick, Maryland, when we spotted a sign saying “Scenic Overlook.” We had some time to kill so we took the exit.

We often get questions on handbrakes. Some of our customers aren’t sure when or how to use them. We thought it would be a good idea to do a Q&A on the top 10 questions asked related to the handbrake. Importantly, on some cars the “handbrake” is actually a foot pedal. It’s also called an emergency brake or parking brake.

Proper brake maintenance is essential to automobile safety. In the video below, I review some key tips on brake maintenance, but the bottom line is to be sure your brakes undergo a thorough examination every year.

The anti-lock brake system (ABS) is a safety system that allows the wheels on a motor vehicle to maintain tractive contact / friction with the road surface no matter how hard the driver pushes the brake pedal. The ABS does this by preventing the wheels from locking up (stopping rotation).