Control
of
a
Vehicle
Braking
You have three systems that make your vehicle
go
where Braking action involves
perception
time and
you want it to go. They are the brakes, the steering and reaction time.
the accelerator. All three systems have to do their work
First,
you
have
to
decide
to
push
on
the brake
pedal.
at the places where the tires meet the road.
That’s perception
time.
Then
you
have to bring up
your fo.ot 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.
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.
4-5
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