1997 GMC Sonoma Owner's Manual - Page 144

Control of a Vehicle You have three systems that make your vehicle go where you want it to go. They are the brakes, the steering and the accelerator. All three systems have to dotheir work at the places where the tires meet the road. Braking Braking action involves perception timeand reaction time. First, you have to decide topush 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 314 of a second. But that's only an average. It might be less with one driver and as long as two or threeseconds or more with another. Age, physical condition, alertness, coordination and eyesight all play a part. So do alcohol, drugs and frustration. But even in 314 of a second, a vehicle moving at 60 mph (100 km/h) travels 66 feet (20 m). That could bea 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; the condition of your brakes; the weight of the vehicle and the amount of brake forceapplied. Sometimes, as when you're driving on snow or ice,it's easy to ask more of those control systems than the tires and road can provide. That means you can lose control of your vehicle.