Brake Time Distance. Brakes engage in aout 0.3 seconds. The additional stopping distance resulting from this delay is ______ feet.

Question

Problem: Suppose a person is driving a car on a concrete road at 55 mph (80.67 feet/sec). He sees a pedestrian and applies the brakes. What is the shortest stopping distance that can reasonably be expected? Assume that all four brakes are working evenly. Recall that total stopping distance consists of three components. Fill in the blank.

 

Answer 1

In 0.3 seconds the car will travel 80.67*0.3=24.2 feet, ignoring the time for the driver to realise that the brakes need to be applied and that the car may skid.