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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.
Avoid needless heavy braking. Some people drive in
spurts
--
heavy acceleration followed by heavy braking
-- rather than keeping pace with traffic. This is a
mistake. Your brakes may not have time to cool between
hard stops. Your brakes will wear out much faster if you
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