1996 Pontiac Grand Prix Owner's Manual - Page 160

Control of a Vehicle You have three systems thatmake your vehicle go where you want it to go. They are the brakes, the steering and the accelerator. All three systems have to do their work at the placeswhere the tires meet the road. Braking Braking action involves perception time and reaction time. First, you have to 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 isabout 3/4 of a second. But that's only an average. It might be less with one driver and as long as two or three seconds or more with another. Age, physicalcondition, alertness, coordination and eyesight all play a part. So do alcohol, drugs and frustration. But even in 3/4 of a second, a vehicle 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 andothers is important. And, of course, actual stopping &stances vary greatly with the surfaceof the road (whether it's pavement or gravel); the condition of the road (wet, dry, icy); tire tread; and thecondition of your brakes. Sometimes, as when you'redriving on snow or ice, it's easy to ask more of those control systems than the tires and road can provide. That means you can control lose of your vehicle. 4-5