Control
of
a
Vehicle
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.
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.
Braking
Bralung 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
kmh)
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.
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