Safe Braking Distances

Understanding braking distances - how far a car travels at a certain speed and how long it takes for that car to stop - can make driving safer and more enjoyable.

Here's an example, which assumes roads are dry and brakes and tires are in good condition.  A car traveling at 60 miles per hour moves 88 feet every second.  The driver requires about three - quarters of a second to apply brakes and then needs another five seconds to bring this vehicle to a complete stop.  During that time, the car traveled about 65 feet during the driver's initial reaction, and another 270 feet after the brake pedal was depressed.  That's a total of about 335 feet traveled, longer than a football field.

What does that mean in terms of knowing where you, as well as other drivers, are on the road?  It means you need to make sure to keep a buffer between your car and those ahead of you.  Conventional driver's wisdom is the "three - second rule," meaning you have the distance equivalent to three seconds of braking time between your car and the one in front of you.