Cadillac 2010 SRX, Owner'S Manual

Page: 248 / 470

8-4 Driving and Operating
This means that when anyone who
has been drinking
— driver or
passenger — is in a crash, that
person's chance of being killed or
permanently disabled is higher than
if the person had not been drinking.
Control of a Vehicle
The following three systems
help to control the vehicle while
driving
— brakes, steering, and
accelerator. At times, as when
driving on snow or ice, it is easy to
ask more of those control systems
than the tires and road can provide.
Meaning, you can lose control of
the vehicle. See
Traction Control
System (TCS) on page 8 ‑ 32 and
StabiliTrak System on page 8 ‑ 33 .
Adding non ‐ dealer/non ‐ retailer
accessories can affect vehicle
performance. See
Accessories and
Modifications on page 9 ‑ 3 .
Braking
See Brake System Warning Light
on page 4 ‑ 23 .
Braking action involves perception
time and reaction time. Deciding to
push the brake pedal is perception
time. Actually doing it is
reaction time.
Average reaction time is about
three
‐ fourths 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 three
‐ fourths of a second, a
vehicle moving at 100 km/h
(60 mph) travels 20 m (66 ft). That
could be a lot of distance in an
emergency, so keeping enough
space between the 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, whether it is wet, dry,
or icy; tire tread; the condition of the
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. The brakes might not
have time to cool between hard
stops. The brakes will wear out
much faster with a lot of heavy
braking. Keeping pace with the
traffic and allowing realistic following
distances eliminates a lot of
unnecessary braking. That means
better braking and longer brake life.
If the engine ever stops while the
vehicle is being driven, brake
normally but do not pump the
brakes. If the brakes are pumped,
the pedal could get harder to push
down. If the engine stops, there will
still be some power brake assist but
it will be used when the brake is