1996 Oldsmobile Achieva Owner's Manual - Page 153

Control of a Vehicle You have three systems that make your vehicle gowhere you want it togo. They are the brakes, the steering and l to the accelerator. Al three systems have 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 rnight be less with one driver and as long as two or three seconds or more with mother. Age, physical condition, alertness, coordination and eyesight a l play a part. So do alcohol, drugs and l frustration. But even in of a second, a 3/4 vehicle m) moving at 60 mph (100 k h travels 66 feet (20 m). That could be a lot distance in an emergency, so of keeping enough space between your vehicle and others is important. And, of course, actual stopping distances vary greatly with the surfaceof the road (whether it's pavement or gravel); the condition of the road (wet, dry, icy); tire tread; and the conditionof your brakes. Sometimes, aswhen you're driving on snow or ice,it's easy to ask more of those controlsystems than thetires and road can provide. That means you can lose control of your vehicle. 4-5