1998 Oldsmobile Cutlass Owner's Manual - Page 152

Control of a Vehicle Braking You have three systems that make your vehicle go where Braking action involves perception timeand you want it to go. Theyare the brakes, the steering and reaction time. the accelerator. All three systems have do their work to First, you have to decide to push the brake pedal. on at the places where the tires meet road. the That's perception time.Then you have to bring up your foot and doit. That's reaction time. Average reaction timeis about 3/4of a second. But that's only an average. might be less with one driver It or and as long as two 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 a second, a vehicle of moving at 60 mph (100 krn/h) travels 66 feet (20 m). of That could be a lot distance in an emergency, so keeping enough space between your vehicle and others is important. And, of course, actual stopping distances greatly vary with the surfaceof the road (whether it's pavement or gravel); the condition the road (wet, dry, icy); tire of of of tread; the condition your brakes; the weight the vehicle and the amount brake force applied. of