Chevrolet Spark Owners Manual: Braking

Chevrolet Spark Owners Manual / Driving and Operating / Driving Information / Braking

Braking action involves perception time and reaction time. Deciding to push the brake pedal is perception time. Actually doing it is reaction time.

Average driver reaction time is about three-quarters of a second. In that time, a vehicle moving at 100 km/h (60 mph) travels 20m (66 ft), which could be a lot of distance in an emergency.

Helpful braking tips to keep in mind include:

Keep enough distance between you and the vehicle in front of you.
Avoid needless heavy braking.
Keep pace with traffic.

If the engine ever stops while the vehicle is being driven, brake normally but do not pump the brakes. Doing so could make the pedal harder to push down. If the engine stops, there will be some power brake assist but it will be used when the brake is applied.

Once the power assist is used up, it can take longer to stop and the brake pedal will be harder to push.

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Steering

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Insuring the Vehicle
Protect your investment in the GM vehicle with comprehensive and collision insurance coverage. There are significant differences in the quality of coverage afforded by various insurance policy terms. Many insurance policies provide reduced protection to the GM vehicle by limiting compensation ...

Lockout Protection
When locking is requested with the driver door open and the key in the ignition, all the doors will lock and then the driver door will unlock. This can be manually overridden by pressing and holding on the power door lock switch. If Unlocked Door Anti-Lockout is turned on, the vehicle is off ...

Antilock Brake System (ABS) Warning Light
This light comes on briefly when the engine is started. If the light stays on, turn the ignition to LOCK/OFF or if the light comes on, stop as soon as possible and turn the ignition off. Then start the engine again to reset the system. If the light still stays on, or comes on again while dr ...