No time to waste

How'd you like to drive 500 miles under the most stressful conditions ... at 200 plus miles an hour, never knowing what you might have to avoid in the next fraction of a second? That goes with the territory in the NASAR circuit. Compare this to highway driving...How much time would you need to deal with a road emergency?

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At 60 miles an hour, going 66 feet per second, you've already gone about 200 feet since we begin asking this question. Would that have given you enough time to stop in a panic situation? It depends not only upon your state of mind, eyesight and physical condition, says the Car Care Council, but also on the condition of your brakes and your tires, which play big parts in instant responses.

The process goes like this: you see the dangerous situation, assess it, move your foot to the brake pedal and then apply pressure to the pedal. You then assume your brakes will be responsive, and that the steering and tires will help you avert the disaster.

How long since you had your tires, steering and brakes checked? Safe driving is a demanding responsibility. For more information on automotive maintenance log on www.carcarecouncil.org.