Six of the best ways to get a grip on braking are:
* Brake in a straight line if possible. Braking while going through a bend unbalances the car.
* Brake smoothly.
* Don't underestimate how long it takes you to stop. At 30mph, you take 23 metres or five car lengths to stop, at 50 this doubles to 53m (12 car lengths); at 70 it takes 96m or 21 car lengths.
* Always leave at least two seconds between yourself and the car in front. Watch the car in front go past a lamp post or tree, and count how long it takes you to reach it.
* As a guide, you should at least double this in the wet, and quadruple it in snow and ice.
* For extra winter grip, consider winter tires which maintain grip well below that of normal tyres which start to stiffen below 7o C.
Elstow says "Braking is a skill that needs practice - do it properly and you'll improve fuel consumption and journey times. If you prepare in time, and look further down the road, you can avoid stopping as often, i.e. look ahead and plan to meet a gap in the traffic on a roundabout."
