Your Turn In the Driver’s Seat

Keeping a safe distance

Created by Debbie MintzUsing:Life Skills Driving- Savage & MorrisonIn the Driver’s Seat- GlisanPhoto retrieved from- http://www.flickr.com/photos/benmcleod/523653908

Your Turn In the Driver’s Seat

Keeping a safe distance

• Collision

• Distance

• Mph

• Perceive

• reaction

TerminologyWords to know

Banging or crashing together.

The amount of space between two things

Miles per hour; speed.

To become aware of, directly through any of the senses, especially sight or hearing.

Movement as a result of something.

Keeping a safe distanceEQ: How do I know when it is a safe

distance?•You are driving down the road. Suddenly, the driver in front of you slams on the brakes. Will you have enough time to stop? Or will you crash into the back of his car?

•Rear-end collisions are common on the highway. They are caused by following another car too closely.

•Drivers do not leave enough distance between their car and the car ahead.

•Stopping takes time.

Keeping a safe distanceEQ: How do I know when it is a safe

distance?The time it takes you to stop your car depends on a number of things:• How quickly you see the danger ahead.

•How long it takes you to react, to move your foot from the gas pedal to the brake.

•The condition of the driver: whether you are tired; the condition of the road: whether the road is wet and slippery.

•Traffic conditions: whether you have enough space to turn away from the danger ahead.

•The main factor is speed. The faster your car is traveling, the longer it will take to stop.

Keeping a safe distanceEQ: How do I know when it is a safe

distance?The chart at the right shows you how long it takes a car traveling a different speed to stop. The chart show you how far a car travels during:

Your reaction time, from when you see the danger ahead until your foot hits the brake.

Your braking time, from when your foot hits the brake until the car comes to a complete stop.

The total distance involved during this whole time.

Miles Perhour

Reaction Time distance

Braking Time distance

TotalStopping distance

20 22 ft 23 ft 45 ft

25 27 ft 34 ft 61ft

30 33 ft 45 ft 78 ft

35 38 ft 67 ft 105 ft

40 44 ft 81 ft 125 ft

45 49 ft 110 ft 159 ft

50 55 ft 133 ft 188 ft

55 60 ft 165 ft 225 ft

60 71 ft 232 ft 303 ft

70 77 ft 304 ft 381 ft

       

Keeping a safe distanceEQ: How do I know when it is a safe

distance?When they see danger ahead, most people take about ¾ of a second to move their foot from the gas pedal to the brake pedal.

At 20 miles an hour. Your car travels 22’ in that ¾ second.

At 55 mph, your car travels 60’ in that ¾ second.

After you hit the break your car doesn’t stop right away.

At 55 mph, it goes another 165 feet. Even at 35 mph, your car takes 105 feet to come to a complete stop.

That’s a distance longer than a basket-ball court.

This is why keeping a safe distance is important in avoiding rear-end collisions!

Keeping a safe distanceEQ: How do I know when it is a safe

distance?How can you judge a safe distance between you and the car ahead?

There are two ways to judge safe distances, the “Car Length” rule and the “Two Second” rule.

The car length rule is:

For every 10 mph you are traveling, leave 1 car length between your car and the car ahead. At 20 mph, 2 car length is a safe following distance. At 50 mph, leave 5 car lengths. On wet roads leave more space.

Keeping a safe distance

How can you judge a safe distance between you and the car ahead?

The Two Second Rule is:

Stay two seconds or more behind the car in front of you. Pick out something on the road ahead to use as a marker. When the car ahead passes the marker, count “one thousand one, one thousand two. If your car reaches the marker before you finish counting you are following too closely. Slow down

Keeping a safe distanceCheck what you know

Collision

Distance

Mph

Perceive

reaction

To become aware of directly through any of the senses, especially sight or hearing.

Banging or crashing together.

The amount of space between two things

Movement as a result of something.

Miles per hour; speed.

Keeping a safe distanceCheck what you know

Rear-end collisions are caused by-A.Cars following too closelyB.Poor conditions of cars’ rear ends

How long it takes you to stop your car will depend mostly

A.On the weatherB.On how fast you are going

You should leave one car length of distance between you and the car ahead for every ____ mph you are driving.

A.10B.25

Keeping a safe distanceCheck what you know

The first thing you should do in the Two Second Rule is__

A.count, “One thousand one, one thousand two.”B.Pick out a marker on the road ahead.

What mostly determines how long it takes to stop?

A.How many people are in a carB.How fast the car is goingC.How heavy the traffic is

EQ: How do I know when it is a safe

distance?

CreditsLife Skills Driving- Savage & MorrisonIn the Driver’s Seat- GlisanPhoto retrieved from- http://www.flickr.com/photos/benmcleod/523653908/ 

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