1995 GMC Sonoma Owner's Manual - Page 139

Braking Braking action involves perception time and 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 twoor three seconds or more with another. Age, physical condition, alertness, coordination,and eyesight all play a part. So do alcohol, drugsand frustration. But even in 314 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 space between your vehicle and others is important. And, of course, actual stopping distancesvary 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 pacewith 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. Bur: 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. Anti-Lock Brakes (ABS) Your vehicle has an advanced electronic braking system that can help you keep it under control. If your vehicle has an anti-lock brake system warning light on the instrument panel, ithas four-wheel anti-lock brakes. Otherwise, ithas rear-wheel anti-lock brakes. When you start a vehicle that has four-wheel anti-lock brakes and begin to drive away, you may hear a momentary motor or clicking noise. This is the ABS system testing itself. 4-5