The board acceleration is controlled by a wireless remote. To turn you use your body weight as you would a normal longboard skateboard. To slow down you push the trigger forward on the handheld remote. The brake is firm when applied at medium to fast speeds and is very safe. The braking is softer at slow speeds and may not bring you to a complete stop. It has been designed to be as safe as possible. For this reason, we can call the TranceBoard the safest skateboard in the world. It should have been named Safeboard. As other skateboards don't stop in seconds if you need it. That's the most critical situation for a skateboarder, stopping in dangerous situations. Especially when you ride downhill.