Many years ago, the standards for the safety of brakes were started by Ransom E. Olds of Oldsmobile. He employed a system that used one bendable stainless-steel band that wrapped around a drum on the rear axle. When engaging the brake pedal, the band would tightly grip the drum. This system was not perfect, but the Oldsmobile brake was used by several automobile manufacturers. Dirt would easily get into the brakes which caused them to need repair every 200 or 300 miles.

The European cars established the second popular type of brakes. This system had discs covered with friction material that would slow down the wheels. The noise made from this friction was silenced by covering the discs with asbestos, a material that would one day be found to be the cause of cancer for so many people.

The next major brake stage was developed in 1918 by the engineer Malcolm Lougheed. He applied hydraulics to the system. The system he developed used tubes and cylinders to put fluid pressure against the wheel which would slow them down. Lougheed eventually changed his name to Lockheed and he and his brother Allen founded the Lockheed Aircraft Corporation.

The hydraulics were not picked up and used very quickly, but major manufacturers eventually worked them into their designs. Ford was the last one to use them in 1939. Power assistance was soon added to brakes that used vacuum booster. This helped to reduce the time it took a car to stop by using the push-pull effect that used vacuum force on one side of the master cylinder and air pressure on the other side.

In 1958, antilock brakes were created and it took a long time before they became a popular feature and a mainstream in cars today. Steps toward the new modern antilock brakes were began in the 1960s. This was when the Lincoln Continental Mark III had sensors on the back wheels that gave off signals to a computer with transistors that was located behind the glove box. At the time this was done, it was too expensive for the current market to use, but over time and with advanced technology, antilock brakes became a part of most cars.

With todays technology, higher-quality brake parts are becoming available and more changes are on the way as research advances.

Note: Check your brake system often. It is important to make sure your brakes are working correctly and providing you proper safety.