Owner`s manual
Control
of
a
Vehicle
You have three systems that make 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
places
where the tires meet the road.
Sometimes, as when you’re driving
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
lose control
of
your vehicle.
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
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
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 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
of
the road (wet, dry,
icy); tire tread; and the condition
of
your brakes.
4-5