The most crucial role your shocks and struts play is in braking and handling. Hopefully you never experience this, but you have probably seen it on I-5 or I-80? A multi car crash. When you’re braking and steering, your shocks and struts keep the wheels firmly on the pavement. This keeps stopping distances much shorter, and steering is more responsive. Worn, old, leaky and bouncy shocks and struts can cause drastic safety issues.