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Braking action involves perception time and
recrctior? time.
First, you have to decide to push on the brake pedal.
That's perception tir~e. Then you have to bring up your
foot and do it. That's rccrction 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 i n 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 paven-~ent or
tread; the condition of your brakes; the weight of the
vehicle and the amount of brake force applied.
t ,
Oravel); the condition of the road (wet, dry, icy); tire
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
YOLI
do
a
l o t
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 t o push.
4-6
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