Chevrolet 2004 Tracker Specifications download pdf (Page 155)

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 are driving on snow or ice, it

is 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 is

perception time.

Then you have to bring up your

foot and do it. That is

reaction time.

Average

reaction time

is about 3/4 of a second. But that

is 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 is 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.

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 do a lot of heavy braking.

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Chevrolet 2004 Tracker Specifications Page 155

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