Road safety – car stopping distances
Stopping safely
When a car has to stop, the stopping distance total is made up of two distances –
the thinking distance, and the braking distance.
The thinking distance is the distance travelled by the car while the driver is reacting.
The braking distance is the distance travelled by the car once the driver has put their
foot on the brakes.
What factors affect thinking and braking distance?
Thinking distance:
speed
distractions, eg mobile phones
alcohol
drugs
tiredness
visibility
Braking distance:
speed
worn brakes
wet road
mass of the car
worn tyres
icy road
The thinking distance depends on the reaction time of the driver which could be
affected by drugs, alcohol, distractions and tiredness. This distance will also be
affected by the car’s speed. The braking distance also depends on the speed of the
car, the mass of the car, how worn the brakes and tyres are, and the road surface. A
fast, heavy car with worn tyres and brakes, on a wet or icy road will have a large
braking distance.
Key fact
A faster speed increases both thinking and braking distance, increasing the total
stopping distance.
You might be asked to look for patterns in car stopping distances, and how they
change with the speed of a car. Look at the diagram and answer the question.
Question
A car doubles its speed from 30 mph to 60 mph. How does this affect:
A) The thinking distance
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
______________
B) The braking distance
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
______________
C) The total stopping distance
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
______________
answer
a) The thinking distance doubles from 9 m to 18 m.
b) The braking distance quadruples from 14 m to 56 m.
c) The total stopping distance increases from 23 m to 74 m.
The kinetic energy of a car goes up by a factor of four if the speed doubles. This
increased kinetic energy and increased stopping distance can increase the risk of
collisions and death. That’s why there are speed restrictions in urban areas and
particularly near schools.
Analysing vehicle stopping distances
This is what a velocity-time graph represents. It helps you calculate reaction time and
the time it takes for a vehicle to stop.
Look at the graph and answer the questions.
Question
What is the driver’s reaction time?
_______________________________________________________________
answer
0.8 s
Question
What was the speed of the vehicle before it started to brake?
_______________________________________________________________
answer
15 m/s
Question
What distance was travelled while the driver was reacting (the thinking distance)?
______________________________________________________________
answer
The area under the flat part of the graph, which is 15 m/s × 0.8 s = 12 m.
Question
How long did it take the car to stop?
______________________________________________________________
answer
The time between 0.8 s and 4 s = 3.2 s.
Question
What is the braking distance?
______________________________________________________________
answer
The area of the triangle.
½ × base × height = ½ × 3.2 s × 15 m/s = 24 m
Question
What is the total stopping distance?
______________________________________________________________
answer
12 m + 24 m = 36 m
