1997 Pontiac Trans Sport Owner's Manual - Page 253

Control of a Vehicle You have three systems that make your vehicle go where yuu want it to go. They are the brakes, the steering and to the accelerator. All three systems have do their work at the places where tires meet the road. the Braking actioninvolves perception time and reaction time. First, you haveto decide to pushon the brake pedal. That's perception time.Then youhave to bring up your foot and do it. That's reactiun time. Average reaction time is about 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, physical condition, alertness, coordination and eyesight a l play a part. So do alcohol, drugs and l frustration. But evenin 3/4 of a second, a vehicle moving at 60 mph (100 km/h) travels 66 feet (20 m). That couldbe a lot of distance in an emergency, so keeping enough space between vehicle and others your is important. And, of course, actual stoppingdistances vary greatly with the surface of the road (whether it's pavementor gravel); the condition of the road (wet, dry, icy); tire tread; the condition of your brakes; the weight of the vehicle and the amount of brake force applied. Sometimes, as when you're driving on snow ice, it's or easy to ask moreof those control systems thanthe tires and road can provide. That means you can lose control of yoar vehicle. 4-6