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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 34 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/hj
travels 66 &et (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.
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 hllowed
by
heavy
braking-rather than keeping pace
with t r a c . This is
a
mistake.
Your
brakes may not have time to cool
between
hard
stops. Your brakes
wili
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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