- Inventor
- Gabriel Voisin (aircraft, 1929); Bosch + Mercedes-Benz team led by Heinz Leiber (production, 1978)
- First used
- 1978 — Mercedes-Benz W116 S-Class with Bosch ABS 2
- Origin
- Stuttgart, Germany
How it came to be
French aviation pioneer Gabriel Voisin built the first mechanical anti-lock system in 1929 to stop aircraft from skidding on landing. Dunlop developed the Maxaret system for jets in 1953. Ferguson Research and Dunlop fitted an experimental version to the Jensen FF road car in 1966, but the breakthrough came when Bosch and Mercedes-Benz partnered on a fully electronic system. Launched in 1978 on the S-Class, ABS 2 used a digital ECU and wheel-speed sensors to modulate brake pressure up to 10 times per second. It became the foundation for ESC, traction control and every modern stability system.
Key milestones
- 1929Voisin patents a flywheel-based anti-lock brake for aircraft.
- 1953Dunlop's Maxaret system enters service on British military jets.
- 1966Jensen FF becomes the first road car with anti-lock brakes (mechanical Maxaret).
- 1971Chrysler offers a rear-wheel-only 'Sure Brake' option on the Imperial.
- 1978Bosch + Mercedes launch the first fully electronic four-channel ABS.
- 1985Ford Scorpio is the first car with ABS as standard equipment.
- 2004ABS becomes mandatory on all new EU cars.
- 2013Motorcycles over 125cc sold in the EU must include ABS.
Mandatory on all new cars in the EU (since 2004), the US (since 2013 alongside ESC), Australia, Japan and most G20 markets.
Why locked wheels are bad
A locked wheel slides; a sliding tire generates less friction than a rolling one and provides zero steering input. Drivers who slam the brakes on a non-ABS car can stop in a straight line but cannot steer around an obstacle.
How ABS works
Each wheel has a speed sensor. The ABS module compares wheel speeds — if one is decelerating faster than the others (about to lock), it pulses a hydraulic valve to release and reapply brake pressure to that wheel up to 20 times per second. You feel a pulsing pedal; the car keeps steering.
How to use ABS
Stomp and steer. Press the pedal as hard as you can and hold it there — do not pump. Steer around the obstacle. ABS will manage the braking force at every wheel. Modern systems shorten stopping distance on dry pavement compared to a panicked driver.
Where ABS struggles
On loose gravel or fresh snow, a locked wheel actually stops shorter because it builds a wedge of material in front of the tire. Some off-road vehicles can disable ABS for this reason. On ice, nothing helps much.
