1 Answer

Stopping Distance Explained

You will be mistaken to think that the breaking distance is the same as the overall stopping distance! 
Questions in the real test can seam tricky unless read carefully...

What is thinking distance?

Thinking distance is the distance that the car travels after the driver has seen the danger and before the brakes are applied.

Some peoples reactions are faster than others, but the average distance it takes before the driver realizes the danger ahead is 20 feet, when travelling at 20 mph.

What is braking distance?

The distance that the car travels whilst braking. With the brakes applied the car slows down, and the average car will travel 20 feet before coming to a complete stop, when travelling at 20 mph.

The Overall Stopping Distance is a combination of the 2 above.

When trying to visualize a distance it is useful to remember that the length of an average car is approximately 15ft, therefore, 75ft would be about 5 car lengths away.

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