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
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
314
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; and the condition
of
your brakes.
4-5
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