1998 Chevrolet Express Van Owner's Manual - Page 169

Braking Braking action involves perception timeand 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 with one driver less and as long as two or three seconds or more with another. Age, physicalcondition, alertness, coordination and eyesight all play a part. do alcohol, drugs and So frustration. But evenin 3/4 of a second, a vehicle moving at 60 mph (100 k d h ) travels 66 feet (20 m). That could be a lotof 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 pavementor 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 peopledrive 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 much faster if you out do a lot of heavy braking. you keep pace withthe If 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 whileyou'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 havesome power brake assist. But you will use it when youbrake. Once the power assistis used up, it may take longer to stop and the brake pedal will be harder to push. 4-6