If I slam on my brakes for an emergency (animal in road, accident ahead, etc.), I can stop from 60mph in approximately 110-120 feet. That's not that far from a

If I slam on my brakes for an emergency (animal in road, accident ahead, etc.), I can stop from 60mph in approximately 110-120 feet. That's not that far from a magically appearing brick wall. At 60mph, you'll cover the whole of that distance in approximately 1.25 seconds. Assuming even a few tenths of a second to notice that I'm stopping, and a few more tenths to realize that I'm stopping FAST, and those "large distances" start to look quite reasonable. Particularly if your car can't brake like a sports car, or if your mind sometimes drifts.