1994 Chevrolet Suburban Owner's Manual - Page 164

Sometimes, as when you're driving on snow or ice, it's easyto ask more of those control systems than the tires and road can provide. That means you can lose control of your vehicle. Braking Brakmg action involves perception time and reaction time. First, you have to decide to push on the brake pedal. That'sperception. time. Then you have to bring up your foot and do it. That's reaction time. Average reaction time is about 314 of a second. But that'sonly 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 k d 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 withthe surface of the road (whether it's pavement or gravel); the condition ofthe 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 keepingpace 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 do a lot of heavy braking. If you keep pace with the traffic and allow realistic following distances, you will eliminate a lot of unnecessary braking. That means better braking and longer brake life. If your engine ever stops while you're driving, brake normally but don't pump your brakes. If you do, the pedal may get harder to push down. If your engine stops, you will stillhave some power brake assist. But you will use it when you brake. Once the power assist is used up, it may take longer to stop and the brake pedal will be harder to push. 4-5