1997 Buick LeSabre Owner's Manual - Page 176

~ Braking ~ Brakingactioninvolves perception time and reaction time. First, you have to decide to push on the brake pedal. your That's perception time. Then you have to bring up foot and doit. 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 with and as long as two three seconds or more or another. Age, physical condition, alertness, coordination and eyesight all play part. So do alcohol, drugs and a frustration. But even 314 of a second, a vehicle in moving at60 mph ( 100 km/h) travels 66 feet (20 m). That could be lot of distance in an a emergency, so keeping enough space between your vehicle and others is important. And, of course, actual stopping distances greatly vary with the surfaceof the road (whether pavement or it's of dry, gravel); the condition the road (wet, icy); tire tread; the condition your brakes; the weight the of of of vehicle and the amount brake force applied. Sometimes, as when you're driving onsnow or ice,it's of easy to ask more those control systems than the tires and road can provide. That means can lose control you of your vehicle. 4-6