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
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 with the
traffic and allow realistic following distances, you will
eliminate a lot
of
unnecessary braking. That means
better braking and longer brake life.
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