Editing Vehicle (section)

== Control ==

=== Steering ===
{{main|Steering}}
Most vehicles, with the notable exception of railed vehicles, have at least one steering mechanism. Wheeled vehicles steer by angling their front<ref name="steering2">{{cite web |date=2001-05-31 |title=How Car Steering Works |url=http://www.howstuffworks.com/steering.htm |access-date=23 July 2011 |work=[[HowStuffWorks]] }}</ref> or rear<ref name="rear_steering">{{cite web |title=The Reason for Rear-Wheel Steering |url=http://www.thrustssc.com/thrustssc/Engineering/rearster.html |access-date=8 August 2011 |work=[[ThrustSSC]] Team }}</ref> wheels. The [[B-52 Stratofortress]] has a special arrangement in which all four main wheels can be angled.{{citation needed|date=April 2023}} Skids can also be used to steer by angling them, as in the case of a [[snowmobile]]. Ships, boats, submarines, [[dirigible]]s and aeroplanes usually have a [[rudder]] for steering. On an airplane, [[aileron]]s are used to [[Banked turn|bank]] the airplane for directional control, sometimes assisted by the rudder.

=== Stopping ===
{{main|Brake}}
[[File:Brake lights on the Las Vegas Strip.jpg|thumb|Cars stopping in traffic on the [[Las Vegas Strip]] in 2023]]
With no power applied, most vehicles come to a stop due to [[friction]]. But it is often required to stop a vehicle faster than by friction alone, so almost all vehicles are equipped with a braking system. Wheeled vehicles are typically equipped with friction brakes, which use the friction between brake pads (stators) and brake rotors to slow the vehicle.<ref name="regenerative"/> Many airplanes have high-performance versions of the same system in their [[landing gear]] for use on the ground. A [[Boeing 757]] brake, for example, has 3 stators and 4 rotors.<ref>{{cite web| title = Flight Crew Training Manual – Brake Units| work = [[Boeing]]| publisher = Biggles-Software| url = http://www.biggles-software.com/software/757_tech/landing_gear/brake_units.htm| access-date = 7 August 2011| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110510170416/http://www.biggles-software.com/software/757_tech/landing_gear/brake_units.htm| archive-date = 10 May 2011| url-status = usurped| df = dmy-all}}</ref> The [[Space Shuttle]] also uses frictional brakes on its wheels.<ref>{{cite web| title = Landing gear system| date = 31 August 2000| publisher = [[NASA]]| url = http://science.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/technology/sts-newsref/sts-gear.html| access-date = 7 August 2011| archive-date = 27 November 2021| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20211127113303/https://science.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/technology/sts-newsref/sts-gear.html| url-status = dead}}</ref> As well as frictional brakes, hybrid and electric cars, trolleybuses and electric bicycles can also use regenerative brakes to recycle some of the vehicle's potential energy.<ref name="regenerative"/> High-speed trains sometimes use frictionless [[Eddy-current brake]]s; however, widespread application of the technology has been limited by overheating and interference issues.<ref>{{cite news| title = Eddy-current braking: a long road to success| author = Jennifer Schykowski| date = 2 June 2008| newspaper = Railway Gazette| url = http://science.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/technology/sts-newsref/sts-gear.html| access-date = 7 August 2011| archive-date = 27 November 2021| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20211127113303/https://science.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/technology/sts-newsref/sts-gear.html| url-status = dead}}</ref>

Aside from landing gear brakes, most large aircraft have other ways of decelerating. In aircraft, [[air brake (aircraft)|air brakes]] are aerodynamic surfaces that provide braking force by increasing the frontal cross section, thus increasing the increasing the aerodynamic drag of the aircraft. These are usually implemented as flaps that oppose air flow when extended and are flush with the aircraft when retracted. [[Reverse thrust]] is also used in many aeroplane engines. Propeller aircraft achieve reverse thrust by reversing the pitch of the propellers, while jet aircraft do so by redirecting their engine exhausts forward.<ref>{{cite web| title = Thrust Reversing| work = [[Purdue University]]| url = https://engineering.purdue.edu/~propulsi/propulsion/jets/basics/reverse.html| access-date = 7 August 2011}}</ref> On [[aircraft carrier]]s, [[arresting gear]]s are used to stop an aircraft. Pilots may even apply full forward throttle on touchdown, in case the arresting gear does not catch and a go around is needed.<ref>{{cite web| title = How to land a jet plane on an aircraft carrier| author = ring_wraith| publisher = [[Everything2]]| url = http://everything2.com/title/How+to+land+a+jet+plane+on+an+aircraft+carrier| access-date = 7 August 2011}}</ref>

[[Parachute]]s are used to slow down vehicles travelling very fast. Parachutes have been used in land, air and space vehicles such as the [[ThrustSSC]], [[Eurofighter Typhoon]] and [[Apollo Command Module]]. Some older Soviet passenger jets had braking parachutes for emergency landings.<ref>{{cite web| title = Aircraft Museum – Tu-124| work = Aerospaceweb.org| url = http://www.aerospaceweb.org/aircraft/jetliner/tu124/| access-date = 7 August 2011}}</ref> Boats use similar devices called [[sea anchor]]s to maintain stability in rough seas.

To further increase the rate of deceleration or where the brakes have failed, several mechanisms can be used to stop a vehicle. Cars and [[rolling stock]] usually have [[parking brake|hand brakes]] that, while designed to secure an already parked vehicle, can provide limited braking should the primary brakes fail. <!--The [[Hawker Siddeley Trident]] 1C was designed to use aerodynamic drag from its landing gear in conjunction with reverse thrust to slow the aircraft while still in flight. GOING TO LOOK FOR REF IN BOOKS-->A secondary procedure called [[Forward slip|forward-slip]] is sometimes used to slow airplanes by flying at an angle, causing more drag.