What is stopping distance?

Stopping distance is the total distance a car travels from the moment when the driver first notices an obstruction, to when the car stops.

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What are the two components of stopping distance?

Thinking distance + braking distance

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What is thinking distance?

Thinking distance is the distance a car travels between the point a driver spots a danger, and the point they apply the brakes.

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What is braking distance?

Braking distance is the distance a car travels between the point a driver applies the brakes and the point the car stops moving.

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Does a driver's reaction time affect their thinking distance, braking distance, or both?

Only their thinking distance.

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Name 3 factors that will affect a driver's reaction time.

  1. Tiredness
  2. Consumption of drugs (such as alcohol)
  3. Being distracted (such as being on their phone)

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Which factor affects both thinking distance and braking distance?

The speed of the vehicle.

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Name 5 factors that will affect a vehicle's braking distance.

  1. Quality of the brakes.
  2. Quality of the tyres (how much tread they have).
  3. The road surface (e.g. it will be harder to stop if it is icy, wet, or gravelly).
  4. The speed of the vehicle.
  5. The mass of the vehicle.

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If a vehicle drives twice as fast, what happens to the breaking distance?

The braking distance will increase by a factor of four.

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