1996 Oldsmobile 88 Owner's Manual - Page 158

Control of a Vehicle Braking Braking action involves perception time and You have three systems that make your vehicle go where you wantit to go. Theyare the brakes, the steering and reaction time. the accelerator. All three systems have to do their work First, you have to decide to push on the brake pedal. at the places where tires meet the road. the That's perception time. Then you have to bring up your foot and do it. That's reaction time. Average reaction timeis about 3/4 of a second. But that's only an average. It might be with one driver less and as long as or three seconds or more with two another. Age, physical condition, alertness, coordination and eyesightall play a part. do alcohol, drugs and So frustration. But even 3/4 of a second, a vehicle in moving at 60 mph (100 km/h) travels 66 feet (20 m). That could be lot of distance in an emergency, so a 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 the road (wet,dry, icy); tire of tread; the condition of your brakes; the weight the of vehicle and the amount brake force applied. of Sometimes, as when you're driving on snow or ice, it's easy to ask moreof those control systems than the tires and road can provide. That means you lose control can of your vehicle. 4-6