Stopping

To stop your vehicle, three things must occur...

*You have to see and understand the reason for stopping ("perception"). • Your brain has to send a message telling your foot to step on the brake pedal ("reaction"). • Your foot has to move to the brake pedal and push down.

The most important point for any driver to remember is that if you double your speed - say from 30 mph to 60 mph...

- your braking distance does not become twice as long. It becomes four times as far. (How is this so? Well driving at high speeds can be dangerous, so stopping/braking as far apart as possible is highly recommended so there is no collision.)

For a typical passenger car with perfect 4-wheel brakes, dry pavement, level road, 2.5 second reaction time...

Perception and reaction time (in feet) is dependent on the speed the vehicle is traveling (mph), the further the distance the sooner the reaction time will take place that your foot needs to ease on the brakes until coming to a complete stop with a wider gap between each vehicle (on a freeway or highway, as accidents occur more b/c of fast traveling speeds) as applied to a main road street

"Perception and Reaction Distance."

The amount of time it takes from when you see that you need to stop until you step on the brakes is called "reaction time." Reaction time increases as driving decisions become more complex or when unexpected events occur. Normal reaction times are 2 to 2.5 seconds.

Stopping your vehicle also involves braking time and distance.

• "Braking time" is how much time it takes for the brakes and friction between the road and tires to stop your vehicle. • "Braking distance" is how far your vehicle travels during this time.

Stopping distances on a wet highway may be more than double those on dry pavement...

Be especially careful during the first rain of a season because the mixture of oil and water on pavement is very dangerous. Stopping distances on packed snow and ice are greatly increased. For example, if you are going 30 mph, your stopping distance on ice would be 373 feet, well over the length of a football field. Most cars will begin to lose traction and "hydroplane" between speeds of 35 and 55 mph in heavy rainfall. When this happens, you lose control of your vehicle. Slow down.

Your stopping distance depends upon many factors, such as...

• The type and weight of the vehicle you are driving • Your speed • The condition of the tires and brakes • The road surface • Your reaction time • How alert or how tired you are • Weather conditions