This stands for Anti-lock Braking System and is a proven life-saver.

Invented by Bosch and now standard on most cars, ABS prevents the brakes from locking (which causes the car to skid and consequently refuse to steer where you point it).

When the brake pedal is hit with force, the system's electronic brain determines how much braking effort each wheel needs and driver feels short sharp pulsations through the brake pedal as pressure is automatically applied and released.

The pulsations may feel violent but do not harm the car.