Online Reporter
Drive Safely with Daimon Phiri
As a driver , you must have the ability to stop the vehicle when required. There are two ways of braking.
(a) By deceleration (b) By the application of the brakes.
The correct use of the brakes is most important step towards safe driving. It must be understood what the results of braking will be if maximum efficiency is to be obtained.
When you ease off on the accelerator pedal the engine will slow down due to the compression in the cylinders and this slowing down will be transmitted to the wheels.
Thus, the engine is acting as a brake and the reduction of speed will be smooth and gradual with little wear to the vehicle.
The loss of engine speed by deceleration will be more pronounced when a lower gear is engaged. This will be valuable when driving on a slippery road when normal braking could lock the wheels. Cadence braking will be good.
Pressure on the brake pedal could be varied at the discretion of the driver , from a barely perceptive effect to such force that wheels will lock .
For all normal braking, the initial free movement should be taken up gently and pressure progressively increased as necessary until it can be relaxed as the unwanted road speed is lost . When braking to a standstill the final effort should be so judged that the vehicle will be brought to a gliding halt.
Apart from other considerations the speed of your car, at any time must not exceed the speed at which it can be stopped within the distance the driver can see to be clear. The driver must know the distance he needs to slow down appreciably or stop from all roads speed.
Not only must he know the distance he must be able to relate them to the road on which he is traveling.
The distance will increase considerably in wet or slippery conditions. Reaction time is defined as the time that passes as the driver observes the need for the action and the moment he takes that action .
The average driver, according the police driver’s manual takes 0,7 seconds from seeing an emergency situation to applying the brakes. The distance covered in that time is called ”thinking distance” .
Thinking distance+braking distance=stopping distance
The thinking distance will vary in three ways; (a) with the speed of the vehicle. (b) with the physical and mental condition of the driver. (c) with the degree of concentration being applied.
Controlled, progressive braking is preferable to a sudden hard application.
When a vehicle is braking, weight is thrown forward and downward onto the front wheels and the rear tends to lift up.
The resulting unequal distribution of weight may reduce the general stability of the vehicle. This effect can be dangerous when banked over or driving on a curved path.
The following rules of braking should be applied to reduce disadvantages cited above:
(1) Brake firmly only when travelling in a straight line.
(2) Brake in plenty of time.
(3) Vary brake pressure according to the condition of the road surface.
(4) When descending a steep winding hill brake firmly on the straight stretches and ease off on the bends.
Remember the value of engaging a lower gear at an early stage in the descent.
l The writer, Daimon Phiri, is a published author of books and articles on motoring and driving. He is the director of Tepp Driving School.
