I
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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