Your Driving and
the
Road
Control
of
a
Vehicle
AM409005
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 at 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
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
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.
To Next Page
Loading...
Need help?
General
