1998 Cadillac Catera Owner's Manual - Page 185

Control of a Vehicle You have three systems that make your vehiclewhere go you want it to go. Theyare the brakes, the steering and the accelerator. All three systems havedo their work to at the places where the tires meet the road. Braking Braking action involvesperception time and reaction t i m . First, you have to decide to push the brake pedal. on That's perception time. Then youhave to bring up your foot anddo it. That's reaction time. Average reaction time is about314 of a second. But that's onlyan 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 eyesightall play a part.So do alcohol, drugs and frustration. But even in3/4 of a second, a vehicle moving at60 mph (100 km/h) travels 66 feet (20 m). That could be a lot distance in an emergency, of so keeping enough space between your vehicle and others is important. And, of course, actual stopping distances vary greatly with the surfaceof the road (whether it's pavement or gravel); the condition the road (wet,dry, icy); tire of tread; the condition your brakes; the weight the of of vehicle and the amount brake force applied. of 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 can lose control you of your vehicle.