Stopping distance

what is stopping distance

the total distance travelled from when the driver first spots the obstruction to when the car stops

equation for spotting distance

stopping distance = thinking distance + braking distance

what is thinking distance

how far the car travels during the driver’s reaction time

what is braking distance

distance taken to stop under the braking force

what is reaction time

the time between the driver seeing the hazard and applying the brakes

what factors affect thinking distance

- speed : the faster you go the longer it’ll take to brake and so the further you’ll travel

- reaction time : varies between people but these factors can increase reaction time: tired, drunk, drugs, distracted eg. phone

what factors affect braking distance

- speed and mass as they both affect the kinetic energy of a vehicle which has to be reduced to 0 for the vehicle to stop

- wet or icy roads cause less friction between the tyres of the road causing the cars to skid

- bad tyres as they can’t grip the road as well

- condition/quality of the brakes because if they’re worn or faulty they won’t be able to apply as much pressure on the wheel so they won’t slow the car as quickly so it will end up travelling further before it stops