slam/jam on the brakes

idiom

: to press down hard on the brakes of a car to make it stop suddenly

He slammed on the brakes to avoid hitting the other car.

You risk getting into an accident if you jam on the brakes when another car is right behind you.

Examples of slam/jam on the brakes in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In 2023, a dog caused a pileup after running onto the road, forcing several cyclists to slam on the brakes in rainy conditions. —Ben Church, CNN Money, 12 May 2025

Something caused the truck driver in front of the bus to slam on the brakes, said the co-director of the choir, Kyle Roberts, told the Star-Telegram. —Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 25 Apr. 2025

For example, a pedestrian might want a self-driving car to slam on the brakes if an accident seems likely, but a passenger in the car might prefer to swerve. —Aidan Kierans, The Conversation, 14 Apr. 2025

Brake early, brake slowly, brake correctly, and never slam on the brakes. —Diana Leyva, The Tennessean, 16 Jan. 2024

If the first Trump tariffs in 2018 through 2019 are a guide, those importers could slam on the brakes in the coming months, Seroka said. —Lisa Baertlein, USA TODAY, 18 Dec. 2024

Don't slam on the brakes Texas arctic blast weather forecast Sarah Ann Dueñas is a digital producer for the USA TODAY Network. —Sarah Ann Dueñas, Austin American-Statesman, 15 Jan. 2024

Tammy then nearly drives into a tree, starting to panic after having to slam on the brakes at the last minute. —Vanessa Etienne, People.com, 25 Oct. 2024

Purvis muses that a system like this might allow motorcycles to start running their own AEB systems, which could slam on the brakes when deemed necessary without fear of sending the rider on a surprise excursion over the handlebars. —New Atlas, 11 Sep. 2024