1995 GMC Jimmy Owner's Manual - Page 159

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 less with one driver and as long as two or three seconds or more with another. Age, physical condition, alertness, coordination, and 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 k d h ) travels 66 feet (20 m). That could be a lot of 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 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 coolbetween hard stops. Your brakes will wear out much faster if you do a lot of heavy realistic following braking. If you keep pace with the traffic and allow distances, you will eliminate a lot of unnecessary braking. Thatmeans 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 mayget harder to push down. If your engine stops,you will still have some power brake assist. But you will use it when youbrake. Once the power assist is usedup, it may take longer to stop and the brake pedal will harder to push. be 4-5