Why is Braking Distance Important when Stopping Your Car?

Many drivers simply focus on driving skills as they pertain to just moving their car. They apply different sorts of skills in navigating through different situations such as overtaking, high speed driving, squeezing through traffic and so on. There's one skill that is quite important for the everyday driver and that is braking. You probably know these but may have forgotten it for a while or haven't recalled it yet. Let me share some braking techniques that you can use while on the road.

The most important thing you should consider when it comes to braking is the braking distance. During my driving class more than a decade ago, I remember our instructor telling us that we should give enough distance relative to you driving speed. If I remember correctly, from 0 to 20 kph, you should give a distance of at least 2 cars from the car in front of you. As you increase by 20 kph, you add 1 more car distance. So at 100 kph, you should have a distance of at least 6 cars in front of you.

Well, all you can do is to estimate the distance but this is an effective guideline in maintaining a safe braking distance while driving. Use your best judgment based on your skills, car and road conditions.

Braking at corners is complicated especially if you're driving at high speeds. If you are approaching a corner and possibly turning into it, brake at least 50 meters before you hit that corner. Do not brake abruptly a few feet away from the corner if you're traveling at high speeds. You'll most likely overshoot the corner. Optimal cornering constitutes early braking and get out of the corner smoothly after you turn.

If you have an old vehicle or just want to make sure you corner properly, you can apply double brakes by stepping on the brake twice (or even more). You really don't need this on an ABS (Anti-lock braking system) since it will automatically adjust if the brake slips. If you don't have ABS, once you hit on the brakes the brake pad will clip on to the brake disc, it might slip if you're braking at high speeds since it can't clip on consistently due to the force. Thus, the brake won't be able to stop the turning of the wheels. On an ABS, it will release the brake automatically and clip on immediately which is what will also happen when you depress the brake pedal multiple times.

On different road conditions such as wet and snowy roads, you need to increase your braking distance. Your brakes might be working perfectly but the friction will be less between the tires and road. This will result in your vehicle stopping a little bit further. On ice, you'll need to increase the distance significantly just to be safe.

Emergency brakes are very important as well. So make sure you know where it is and how to use it. If your brakes fail for some reason, this will be your best bet in stopping your vehicle.

So when you're driving, do not focus only on speed and slipping through other vehicles in traffic. Make sure you have enough distance in front of you and you brake at the right time. Be aware of the motion of the car in front of you and act accordingly. Anticipate that the car will always brake abruptly so that you'll be ready if it does. Drive safely.

Sources:
Wikipedia - Disc brake
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disc_brake

Wikipedia - Anti-lock braking system
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-lock_braking_system