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 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
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
(I00
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; the condition
of your brakes; the weight of
the vehicle and the amount
of
brake force applied.
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