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
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.
Avoid needless heavy braking. Some people drive
in
spurts
-
heavy acceleration followed by heavy
braking
-
rather than keeping pace with traffic. This is
a mistake. Your brakes may not have time to cool
between hard stops. Your brakes will wear out much
faster
if
you do a lot of heavy braking.
If
you keep pace
4-6
with the traffic and allow realistic following distances,
you will eliminate a lot of unnecessary braking.
That means better braking and longer brake life.
If
your engine ever stops while you’re driving, brake
normally but don’t pump your brakes.
If
you do,
the pedal may get harder to push down.
If
your engine
stops, you will still have some power brake assist.
But you will use it when you brake. Once the power
assist is used up, it may take longer to stop and
the brake pedal will be harder to push.
Anti-lock
Brake
System
(ABS)
Your vehicle may have anti-lock brakes. ABS is an
advanced electronic braking system that will help
prevent a braking skid.
If your vehicle has anti-lock
brakes, this warning light
on the instrument panel will
come on briefly when
you start your vehicle.
When you start your engine, or when you begin to drive
away, your anti-lock brake system will check itself.
You
may hear a momentary motor or clicking noise while
this test is going on, and you may even notice that
your brake pedal moves or pulses a little. This is normal.
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