Distance to stop at 40 mph

Distance to stop at 40 mph

• A. 180 ft
• B. 240 ft
• C. 210 ft
• D. 260 ft

Answer: (C)

Stopping distance is made up of two parts: the distance you travel while reacting to the need to stop, and the distance you travel while the brakes bring you to a stop. At 40 mph you’re moving about 58.7 feet each second, so if your reaction time is around one second, you’ll cover roughly 60 feet before you even start braking. On dry pavement, the braking distance from 40 mph is typically about 150 feet with moderate braking. Add those together and you get about 210 feet in total. That matches the expected distance under standard dry-road conditions with average reaction time. If the road were wet, snow-covered, or there were poor tires, the stopping distance would be longer.

Stopping distance is made up of two parts: the distance you travel while reacting to the need to stop, and the distance you travel while the brakes bring you to a stop. At 40 mph you’re moving about 58.7 feet each second, so if your reaction time is around one second, you’ll cover roughly 60 feet before you even start braking. On dry pavement, the braking distance from 40 mph is typically about 150 feet with moderate braking. Add those together and you get about 210 feet in total. That matches the expected distance under standard dry-road conditions with average reaction time. If the road were wet, snow-covered, or there were poor tires, the stopping distance would be longer.