Shock absorbers plays a vital and often under estimated role in vehicle safety.

They optimized vehicle handling, while providing positive steering response and safe braking.

As the wheels hit bumps in the road, energy is transferred into the springs of a car’s suspension. With worn shock absorbers, this energy causes the springs to oscillate. This oscillations cause the tyres to break their grip on the road, bouncing on and off the road for some time after hitting the initial bump.

Tests have shown that if just one shock absorber is worn, a car may need an extra 2 metres to stop. This could be the difference between stopping for safety and crashing.

When braking in an emergency, worn shock absorbers cause the front of the car to nose-dive, transferring weight from the rear of the car to the front. This reduces the rear tyres’ grip on the road, causing them to skid and increasing the braking distance.

At the same time, the front tyres may momentarily break their grip on the road, causing the vehicle to yaw and swerve under brakes. Both situations greatly increase the possibility of a driver losing control, particularly in wet conditions.

The function of a shock absorber is to dampen oscillations, maintaining the tyres’ contact with the road, irrespective of the road’s surface. Shock absorbers literally convert the energy of suspension movement to heat, which is then dissipated into the air.

The importance of shock absorbers in overall vehicle dynamics has been underlined by the launched of Monroe Safety Triangle which reinforces the interdependence between shocks, brake and tyres - all three being equally vital in safe motoring.