Thinking & Braking Distances (AQA GCSE Physics): Revision Notes
📚 Revision Notes
5.8.1 Thinking & Braking Distances
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The stopping distance of a vehicle is affected by many different factors whether that be the applied braking force, or the driver of the vehicle and their reaction time.
- Thinking distance is the distance travelled during between the driver seeing the hazard and applying the brakes. It is the driver's reaction time.
- Braking distance is the distance travelled from the point the brakes are applied, to the vehicle coming to a stop. It is the distance travelled while the vehicle is under the braking force.
- The greater the speed of the vehicle, the greater the stopping distance (for a given braking force).
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The higher the stopping distance, the more space you should leave between your vehicle and the vehicle in front of you.
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Say a car is driving along, and suddenly sees an obstacle ahead. The driver applies the brakes, and the car comes to a stop. This is an emergency stop. The stopping distance is the total distance the car travels between the driver seeing the hazard and the car coming to a stop.
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So the stopping distance is: