1993 Oldsmobile Achieva Owner's Manual - Page 144

Your Driving and the Road Braking Braking action involvesperception 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 34 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 eyesightl al play a part. So do alcohol, drugs and frustration. But even in 34 of a second, a vehicle moving at 60 mph (100 km/h) travels 66 feet (20 m). That couldbe 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 conditionof the road (wet, dry, icy); tire tread; and the conditionof your brakes. Most drivers treat their brakes with care. Some, however, overwork the braking system with poor driving habits. Avoid needless heavy braking. Some people drivein spurts-heavy acceleration followedby heavy braking-rather than keeping pace with traffic. This is a mistake. Your brakes m y not have time to cool a between hard stops.Your brakes will wear out much faster you do a lotof if heavy braking. Don't "ride" the brakesby letting your left foot rest lightly on the brake pedal while driving. L b cause "Riding" your brakes can them to overheat to the point that they won't work well. You might not be able to stop your vehicle in time toavoid an accident. If you "ride" your brakes, they will get so hot they will require a lot pedal force to of slow you down. Avoid "riding" the brakes. \