1997 Cadillac DeVille Owner's Manual - Page 207

Control of a Vehicle You have three systems that make your vehiclewhere go you wantit to go. They are the brakes, the steering and the accelerator.All three systems have to their work do at the places where the tires meet the road. Braking Braking action involvesperception time and reaction time. First, you have to decide to push the brake pedal. on That's perception time. Then youhave to bring up your foot anddo 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 aslong as two or three seconds or more with another. Age, physical condition, alertness, coordination and eyesightall play a part.So do alcohol, drugs and frustration. But even in of a second, a vehicle 3/4 moving at60 mph (100 km/h) travels 66 feet (20 m). That could be a lot distance in an emergency, of so keeping enough space between your vehicle and others is important. And, 'of course, actual stopping distances vary greatly with the surface the road (whether it's pavement of or gravel); the condition the road (wet, icy); tire of dry, tread; the condition your brakes; the weight the of of vehicle and the amount brake force applied. of Sometimes, as when you're driving on snow ice, it's or easy to ask more those control systems than the tires of and roadcan provide. That means you can lose control of your vehicle. 4-6