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.
4-6
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