8.1 - stopping distances

Question 1

stopping distance

Answer 1

minimum distance required to stop a vehicle in an emergency
stopping distance = thinking distance + braking distance
if travelling faster, time taken to stop will be longer

Question 2

thinking distance

Answer 2

how far the car travels during the drivers reaction time (time between driver seeing the hazard and actually applying the brakes)

Question 3

what affects thinking distance

Answer 3

speed
- faster - further you’ll travel

reaction time
- varies between people
- variables affecting it, being tired, drunk, distracted increases reaction time

Question 4

braking distance

Answer 4

distance taken to stop under the braking force

Question 5

what affects braking force

Answer 5

speed + mass of vehicle:
- increase KE of vehicle, which needs to be reduced to 0 for the vehicle to stop

condition/ quality of the brakes:
- worn or faulty - less pressure applied against wheel - won’t slow car down as quickly - car travels further before stopping

traction between car and road:
- if road icy or wet - less friction between tyres and road - car skids

bald tyres:
- no tread left - can’t grip road as well

Question 6

impact of speed

Answer 6

look at diagrams and graph
2x speed = 2x thinking distance (proportional)
2x speed = 2^2 (x4) braking distance
3x speed = 3^2 (x9) braking distance

Question 7

what factor affects both thinking distance and braking distance

Answer 7

speed of the vehicle