Stopping Distance (extracted from an article on Edmunds.

com)
Nothing is more important than your car’s ability to stop itself. Knowing something about braking
distances (how much ground a vehicle covers before it can fully stop) can make for safer and more
enjoyable driving.

An average passenger car traveling at 60 mph covers 88 feet per second. But stopping that vehicle takes
over 4.5 seconds and covers a distance of 271 feet on dry, flat pavement. Why? Because there’s more
involved in braking than the actual time your brakes are applied to the wheels (called “effective braking”).
In particular, “perception time,” “reaction time” and tire and road conditions can add considerable
distance to stopping your car.

Perception time is the three-quarters of a second it takes for you to realize that you
need to brake. Reaction time is the three-quarters of a second it takes to move your
foot to the brake pedal. When you combine perception and reaction time, a full 132
feet will pass before your car even begins to slow down from 60 mph. So from the
time you perceive a braking situation until the time your car comes to a complete
stop, a total of 4.5 seconds elapses. During that time your car can travel – it bears
repeating – a total of 270 feet. That’s almost the length of a football field.

Of course, the faster you go, the more time and distance it takes to stop. That same average passenger car
takes about 350 feet to stop from 70 mph and more than 450 feet on wet pavement. Heavier vehicles like
trucks and SUVs can take even longer.

When weather is bad, your braking distance grows exponentially. On wet pavement, total braking time
increases from 4.5 seconds to 6.1 seconds, and total braking distance shoots up from 271 feet to 333 feet.
And it gets worse. In snowy conditions, even with snow tires, total stopping time jumps to 10.6 seconds
and 533 feet. As a basis of comparison, this is roughly the same distance – actually, a little further – as the
same vehicle coming to a complete stop from 90 mph on dry pavement, an effective doubling of the
braking distance. Let us repeat that: a 100- percent increase.

So what do we do with all these numbers? There’s nothing we can do about the weather or about road
surfaces, but we can do something about the way we drive. Arming ourselves with knowledge can prevent
the loss of property and human life.

First, if you drive a truck or SUV, be especially cognizant of your speed in bad weather. Sitting higher off
the road than everyone else only means you’ll have a better view of the passing countryside as you slam
sideways into a snow bank.

Second, remember this law: That which makes you go won’t make you stop. If you drive a four-wheel
drive vehicle, you’re not immune to the laws of physics; in fact you’re a bit more susceptible (if for no
other reason than your overconfidence). Whether you drive an Escort or an Excursion, it doesn’t matter.
In fact, the heavier weight of a truck or SUV means it will take much longer to come to a stop, given its
greater momentum. Repeat: four-wheel drive does not help you stop.

Third, remember to keep a “space cushion” around your vehicle at all times – ahead, to the sides and
behind your car. This can be difficult to accomplish, especially in heavy traffic where everyone is darting
in and out. How close is too close when it comes to following the car ahead of you? There’s a handy “3-
second rule.” When the vehicle ahead of you passes a certain point, such as a sign, count “one-thousand-
one, one-thousand-two, one-thousand-three.” This takes about 3 seconds. If you pass that certain point
before you finish counting, you are following too closely. We suggest a 4-second (or more) cushion in
inclement weather.
 1. Let’s analyze what the article is saying in the 2nd and 3rd paragraphs. Based on the text, an average total
stopping time for a car traveling 60 mph is 4.5 seconds.

a. How much time goes by before the car starts to reduce its speed? _______
1.5 sec.
b. How much of this time is when the car is actually slowing down? _______
3 sec.
c. Calculate how far the car travels during the “perception and reaction” time, before it starts to slow
down. (60 mph = 26.8 m/s)

d. What is the average car’s acceleration during braking? (use time from b above)

e. What distance, in meters, does the car travel during the time that the brakes are being applied? (not
counting reaction and perception time)

f. What is the total distance an average car travels before coming to a stop if it was traveling at a
speed of 60 mph? Take a moment and think about this number. Should you be traveling at 60 mph
where there are likely to be unexpected reasons to stop?
270ft is the total distance it takes to stop.
It is very large distance which can be incredibly dangerous especially with unexpected reasons to stop. I think that cars are going
60mph only on highways & expressways in which there should be little/no pedestrians. Unless there are reckless drives, but usually
areas with pedestrians have lower speed limits in instances of car accidents.
2. A car’s braking acceleration does not depend on how fast it is going. Using the acceleration from (d) above,
determine the braking distance (not counting the reaction and perception times) of the same car going
30m/s, 60 m/s, and 120 m/s.

30m/s braking distance: _______

60m/s braking distance: _______
120m/s braking distance: _______
a. Look at the speeds compared to the stopping distances above. What trends do you notice?

A greater/faster speed = A greater/longer Stopping Distance

3. The V vs. t graph below represents a driver that was accelerating, realized something was in his or her path,
and then hit the brakes to slow down.
V 5s 6s 6.5

-8 m/s t

-19 m/s

a. Create a qualitative Position vs. Time graph that represents the car’s motion.
X 5 6 6.5

a. Based on the text, what can you assume was happening between 5 and 6 seconds?
The Velocity is constantly decreasing
b. What was the acceleration of the car above when it was speeding up?

c. What was the displacement that the driver covered between t=0s and t=5s?

d. What was the total displacement that the driver covered in the graph above?