Stopping distances
The faster you go, the further you travel before you stop. It might not seem like very much, but an increase of 10–15 kilometres per hour can mean the difference between life and death in some circumstances.
After realising there is an emergency, the average driver takes about 1.5 seconds to react.
The graph below shows how stopping distances increase exponentially the faster you go.
Stopping distances can also be affected by:
- your experience and age
- average deceleration of your car
- the condition and braking capacity of your car
- the condition of the tyres
- weather conditions
- road surface
- the weight of the vehicle.
Last updated: 23 February 2012
