Stopping A Car This section is about stopping a car safely From the Highway Code allow at least a two-second gap between you and the vehicle in front on roads carrying fast traffic. The gap should be at least doubled on wet roads and increased still further on icy roads Stopping Distance 2 main parts Thinking distance and Braking distance Speed Time graph Stop!! I saw it here! Slow Speed Time graph Stopping distance Will depend on 1.How fast you are travelling speed 2.How long it takes to stop time Increase either of these and the distance goes up Stopping Distance- 2 parts Thinking Distance depends on The state of the driver thinking time Visibility - time The speed of the car Braking distance depends on The state of the brakes The state of the road The speed of the car The mass of the car + contents Stopping distance will increase If the driver is tired, ill, drunk or affected by drugs legal or illegal If the road is wet or icy less friction on the tyres it may skid The brakes or tyres are worn or faulty less friction The car is travelling at a fast speed The car is full up more mass.