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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