Stopping Power – it’s All Down to the Efficiency of Your Brakes

Posted: Aug 22, 2012
Author: Country Town Tire & Auto Service Center

If you were driving at 55 mph in a typical car and a deer stepped into the road in front of you, it would take about 228 ft. to bring your vehicle to a halt. What would be the percentage of your reaction time over that distance? Maybe 20 percent? Maybe 40 percent?

The truth is that, for most drivers, it would be 50 percent. That’s half the emergency stopping distance – just for you to react! So, by the time you become aware of the emergency, processed your brain to hit the brakes, then put your foot on the pedal, you would have traveled more than 100 ft. Now, if your brakes are in good condition, they’ll be able to stop your car during the next critical 128 ft.

What if your car has brakes that are poorly adjusted or worn down? It is very doubtful that the car would stop in time.

According to The Car Guy, about one third of the vehicles in America have brakes that are unsafe. This means that, of the 150 million vehicles on the road, 50 million have the potential for brake failure.

Here’s what you should know about your vehicle’s braking system. Apart from being able to open the hood to check the brake fluid, most of the braking hardware is hidden under the vehicle and behind the wheels. So the person who should be checking your brakes is not you – it should be the trained technician at the auto shop down the road.