1998 Pontiac Bonneville Owner's Manual - Page 179

Control of a Vehicle Braking You have three systems that make your vehicle go whereBraking action involves perception time and you want it to go. Theyare the brakes, the steering and reaction time. to the accelerator.All three systems have do their work First, you have to decide to push on the brake pedal. at the places where the meet the road. tires That's perception time. Then you haveto bring up your foot and do it. That's reaction time. Average reaction time is about3/4 of a second. But be that's only an average. It might less with one driver and as longas two or three seconds or more with another. Age, physical condition, alertness, coordination and eyesight all play a part. do alcohol, drugs and So frustration. But even 3/4 of a second, a vehicle in m) moving at60 mph (100 k k travels 66 feet(20 m). That could be lot of distance in an emergency, so a keeping enough space between your vehicleand others is important. And, of course, actual stopping distances greatly vary or with the surfaceof the road (whether it's pavement gravel); the condition the road (wet, dry, icy); tire of of tread; the condition your brakes; the weightof the of vehicle and the amount brake force applied. Sometimes, as when you're driving on snowice, it's or easy to ask more those control systems the tires of than and road can provide. That means you lose control can of your vehicle. 4-6