Control Of A Vehicle; Braking - Chevrolet VENTURE 1998 Manual

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 perceprlon 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.
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