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Control of a Vehicle
Braking
You have three systems that make your vehicle go where Braking action
involves
perception
time and
you want it to go. They are the brakes, the steering and reaction
time.
the accelerator. All three systems have to do their work
First, you have to decide to push on the brake pedal.
at the places where the tires meet the road.
That's perception time. Then you have to bring up
your fo.ot and do it. That's reaction time.
Average reaction time is about
314
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
k m / 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.
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.
4-5
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