The use of stabilizer bar (often called sway bars or anti-roll bars) keeps the body of the car from tilting too much during cornering, and greatly improves the handling of a car. Connecting both wheels together, as you go around a turn, the bar twists like a spring. This resistance keeps one side of the body from traveling too far in the opposite direction of the other. The downside is it makes the suspension stiffer when driving in a straight line, or if one wheel were to jounce to the side, for example by hitting a bump. Some cars feature active sway bars, in order to keep the ride soft in normal conditions, but stiffens when cornering. Reducing body roll provides better handling characteristics and a safer car overall.