Your stopping distance is the sum of which two distances?

• A. Braking distance and reaction distance
• B. Braking distance only
• C. Reaction distance only
• D. Total distance to travel

Answer: (A)

Stopping distance is the total distance your vehicle travels from the moment you notice a hazard until you stop, and it’s made up of two parts: the distance traveled while you react to the hazard (reaction distance) and the distance traveled while your brakes slow the car to a stop (braking distance). The reaction distance depends on your speed and how quickly you react, while the braking distance depends on speed and conditions like road surface, tire tread, brake condition, load, and slope. Because both parts add together to become the full stopping distance, you sum them to get the total. The other options miss one of these parts or refer to something not defined as stopping distance.