Definition
Braking distance is the distance the vehicle covers from the moment the driver presses the brake pedal until it comes to a complete stop. It scales with the square of speed: doubling speed quadruples the braking distance.
Key facts
- Quadruples when speed doubles: at 100 km/h you need 4× the space of 50 km/h.
- Increases with vehicle load, tyre wear, wet or icy pavement, and downhill slope.
- Only ABS preserves steering control during emergency braking.
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