Your
Driving and
the
Road
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
%
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
%
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.
126
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.
Most drivers treat their brakes with
care. Some, however, overwork the
braking system with poor driving habits.
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.
.
..
Don’t “ride” the brakes
by
letting your
left foot rest lightly on the brake
pedal
while driving.
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