Braking
Braking action involves perception time and reaction
time.
First, you have to decide to push
on
the brake pedal.
That’s perception time. Then
you
have to bring
up
your
foot and do it. That’s reaction time.
Average reaction time is about
3/4
of a second. But
that’s
only
an average. It might be less with one driver
and as long as two or three seconds
or
more with
another. Age, physical condition, alertness,
coordination, and eyesight all play a part.
So
do alcohol,
drugs and frustration. But even
in
3/4
of a second, a
vehicle moving at
60
mph
(100
km/h) travels
66
feet
(20
m).
That could be a
lot
of
distance
in
an emergency,
so
keeping enough space between your vehicle and
others is important.
And, of course, actual stopping distances vary greatly
with the surface
of
the road (whether it’s pavement or
gravel); the condition of the road (wet, dry, icy); tire
tread; and
the
condition of your brakes.
Avoid needless heavy braking. Some people drive
in
spurts
--
heavy acceleration followed by heavy braking
--
rather than keeping pace with traffic. This is a
mistake. Your brakes may
not
have time to
cool
between
hard stops. Your brakes will wear
out
much faster if you
do a lot
of
heavy braking. If
you
keep pace with the
traffic and allow realistic following distances, you will
eliminate a
lot
of unnecessary braking. That means
better braking and longer brake life.
If your engine ever stops while you’re driving, brake
normally but don’t pump your brakes. If you do, the
pedal may get harder
to
push down. If your engine
stops,
you
will still have some power brake assist. But
you will use it when
you
brake. Once the power assist is
used up,
it
may take longer
to
stop and
the
brake pedal
will be harder to push.
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