1998 Cadillac DeVille Owner's Manual - Page 217

Control of a Vehicle You have three systems that make your vehiclego where you want it to go. They are the brakes, steering and the the accelerator. All three systems have to their work do at the places wherethe tires meetthe road. Braking perception time and Braking action involves 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 doit. That's reaction time. Average reaction time is about 3/4 of a second: But that's only an average.It might beless with onedriver,. and as long astwo or three seconds or more with another. Age, physical condition, alertness, coordination So and eyesight all play a part. do alcohol, drugs and in frustration. But even 3/4' of a second,a vehicle moving at 60 rnph (100 km/h) travels 66 feet (20 m). That could be a lot distance in an emergency,so of keeping enough space between your vehicle and others is important. And, of course, actual stopping distances greatly vary with the surface the road (whether it's pavement or of gravel); the condition the road (wet, dry, of icy); tire tread; the conditionof your brakes; the weight the of ,of vehicle and the amount brake force applied. Sometimes, as when you're driving on snow or ice, it's easy to ask more those control systems than the tires of and road can provide. That means you can lose control of your vehicle. 4-6