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; the condition of your brakes; the weight of
the vehicle and the amount
of
brake force applied.
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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