What causes your car to actually come to a stop? To put it simply, the action of stepping on the brake pedal builds up energy by depressing on the throttle. This energy is converted into friction and heat, which in turns slows, and then will bring your vehicle to a complete stop—that is, if everything is in good working order. This process is repeated without any thought from you hundreds of times every time you head down the road. As this action is consistently repeated, the friction and h...