Control
of
a
Vehicle
Braking
You have three systems that
make
your vehicle go where
you want it to go. They are the brakes, the steering
and
the accelerator.
All
three systems have to do their work
at the places where the tires meet the road.
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
rnph
(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; the condition of your brakes; the weight of the
vehicle and the amount
,of
brake force applied.
Sometimes, as when you’re driving on snow or ice, it’s
easy to ask more
of
those control systems than the tires
and road can provide. That means you can lose control
of
your
vehicle.
4-6
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