Pontiac 1996 Grand Am Owner's Manual page 153

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
a t
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 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 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 h / 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.
4-5
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