Driving and operating 143
Braking
Applying the brakes
Braking action involves perception
time and reaction time. First, you
have to decide to push on the brake
pedal. That is perception time. Then
you have to bring up your foot to do it.
That is reaction time. Average
reaction time is about 3/4 of a second,
but that is only an average. It might be
less with one driver and as long as
two seconds or more with another.
Age, physical condition, alertness,
coordination and eyesight play a part,
so do alcohol and drugs. But even in
3/4 of a second, a vehicle moving at
100 km/h travels 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 is pavement or
gravel), the condition of the road (wet,
dry), tyre tread and your brakes.
Nevertheless, some people overload
the brake system when they use the
brakes incorrectly.
Observe the following
■ Do not obstruct the brake pedal
travel.
■ 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 will wear much faster if you
do a lot of heavy braking. There is
also the risk of dangerous skids.
■ To increase your brake life, try to
follow the traffic pace, avoid
needless braking and allow for safe
following distances. If you ever
have to use the brakes to slow
down, apply them gently and
continuously.
■ Do not drive with the engine off. The
brake booster will not function,
requiring more effort to make the
brakes work.
■ If your engine stops while you are
driving, brake normally but do not
pump your brakes, otherwise the
vacuum of power assist will be used
up, resulting the brake pedal being
harder to push and longer braking
distances.
■ Some driving or climatic conditions
may generate occasional brake
squeak either when the brakes are
applied lightly or the first time the
brakes are applied. This is not a
failure.
Brake pedal travel
Take your vehicle to Chevrolet
dealers anytime you notice the brake
pedal does not return or the brake
pedal travel becomes longer. This
may be an indicator of brake system
failure.
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