Control Of A Vehicle - Oldsmobile cutlass supreme 1996 Owner's Manual

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C-ontrol 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
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the &ccelerator. All three systems have'to do their 'work
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at the places where the tires meet the road.
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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
€oot and do it. Thah reaction time.
Average reacbioPz time is-about 3/4 of a second. But
th&s only an average. It might be less. with :one 'driver
-and
as long as two or three seconds or more
w i d
mother.
Age, physical condition, ,alertness, coordination
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is i-mportant.
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And, of course, actual stopping distances vary greatly
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with the surface of the road (whether
it's'
pavement or
gravel); the condition of the road.(wet,
dry,
icy); tire.
tread; and the bondition of your brakes.
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Sometimes, as when you're driving on snow or ice, it's
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easy to ask more of those controi systems than the tires
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and road can provide. That means you can lose control
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of your vehicle.
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