User Guide
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.
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
314
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; 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 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.
4-6