Braking - Buick 1994 Skylark Owner's Manual

Braking
Braking action involves perception time and reaction
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 fiustration. But even in 3/4 of a second, a
vehicle moving at 60 mph (1 00 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.
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. 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 to push.