1994 Pontiac Firebird Owner's Manual - Page 129

Your Driving and the Road There's something else about drinking and driving that many people don't know. Medical research shows that alcohol in a person's system can make crash injuries worse. That's especially true for brain, spinal cord and heart injuries. That means that if anyone who has been drinking driver or passenger - is in a crash, the chance of being killed or permanently disabled is higher than if that person had not been drinking. And we've already seen that the chance of a crash itself is higher for drinking drivers. I 1'Braking involves perception time 3ralung action reaction time. on 1%st, you have to decide to push the 1)rake pedal. That's perception time. rhen you have to bring up your foot imd do it. That's reaction time. 4verage reaction time about 3/4 of a is ;econd. But that's onlyan average. It 1might be less with one driver and as 1long as two or three seconds or more with another. Age, physical condition, I Control of a Vehicle alertness, coordination, and eyesight all ou have three systems that make your 1play a part. So do alcohol, drugs and 2hicle go where you wantit to go. 1frustration. But even in 3/4 of a second, hey are the brakes, the steering and the a vehicle moving at60 mph (100 km/h) xelerator. All three systems have to do 1travels 66 feet (20 m). That could be a lot teir work atthe places where the tires Iof distance in an emergency, so keeping teet the road. I enough space between your vehicle and ometimes, as when you're driving on others is important. IOW or ice, it's easy to ask more of those And, of course, actual stopping distances mtrol systems than the tires and road vary greatly with the surfaceof the road an provide. That means you can lose (whether it's pavement orgravel); the mtrol of your vehicle. condition of the road (wet, dry, icy); tire tread; and the condition of your brakes. Avoid needless heavy braking. Some people drive in spurts- heavy acceleration followedby heavy braking - rather than keeping pace with traffic. I 1 4 imd I ...I28