How Does Reaction Time Impact Driving Distance and Safety?

[zeo2396]

1. An automobile is traveling at 60 feet/sec (40mph).
a) If the reaction is 0.5 seconds, how far does the automobile travel in this time?
b) How much farther will the automobile travel if the driver is distracted by talking on a cellphone, so that the reaction time increases to 1.5 seconds?

2. Imagine a driver in an automobile in traffic moving at 40 feet/second (28 mph). The driver ahead has collided with another vehicle and has stopped suddenly. How far behind the preceding automobile should a driver be to avoid hitting it, if the reaction time is 0.5 seconds?

3. An automobile is traveling at 60ft/s. How many automobile lengths does it travel per second? ( A typical car length is 15 ft. (about 5 meters)

 

[cupid.callin]

Please show your work and tell us what you really need help with

 

[zeo2396]

Please show your work and tell us what you really need help with

Typically, I've just gone to a new school this semester and the teacher gave me these questions, I knew how to solve velocity, time, distance but the word "reaction time" seems new to me, so that I don't know how to do do these problems

 

[zeo2396]

Can anyone help me!
Thanks!

 

[localrob]

reaction time is a time, that's all.

What do you know about velocity? Do you have a formula or definition for it?

 

[gneill]

reaction time is a time, that's all.

What do you know about velocity? Do you have a formula or definition for it?

Well, in the context of driving, reaction time generally refers to the time between when the driver recognize that a collision is imminent and the moment he manages to put his foot on the brake.