1998 Chevrolet Camaro Owner's Manual - Page 186

Braking Braking action involves perception time and reaction time. First, you haveto 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 314 of a second. But that's only an average.It might be less with driver one and as long as two three seconds or more with or another. Age, physical condition, alertness, coordination and eyesight all play a part. do alcohol, drugs and So frustration. But even in of a second, a vehicle 3/4 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 distances vary greatly with the surface the road (whether it's pavement of or gravel); the condition of the road (wet,dry, icy); tire tread; the condition of your brakes; weight of the the vehicle and the amount brake force applied. of Avoid needless heavy braking.Some people drive in spurts -- heavy acceleration followed by heavy This braking -- rather than keeping pace with traffic. is a mistake. Your brakes may not have time to cool between hard stops.Your brakes will wearout much fasterif you do a lot heavy braking.If you keep pace with the of traffic and allow realistic following distances, you will eliminate alot 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. you do, the If pedal may get harder to push down. If your engine stops, you will still have some power brake assist. But you will useit when you brake. Once the power assist is used up, it may take longer stop and the brake pedal to will be harder to push. 4-6