1995 Cadillac DeVille Owner's Manual - Page 199

Braking action involves yereeption timeand recrction time. First, you have, to decide to push on the brake pedal. That'sperceptioll time. Then you have to bring up your foot and do it. That's rerrction time. Average rerzcfiorz t h e 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 threeseconds or and more with another. Age, physical condition, alertness, coordination, 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 spacebetween your vehicle and othersis important. And, of course, actual stopping distances vary greatly with the surfaceof the road (whetherit's pavement or gravel); the condition of the road (wet, dry, icy); tire tread; and the condition of your brakes. 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. 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. 4-6