4 ms·
Stopping distance has mostly to do with two things : reaction time and weight. I expect an autonomous car to have a far better reaction time than a human.
by nostoc 10y ago
Stopping distance has mostly to do with two things : reaction time and weight.
I expect an autonomous car to have a far better reaction time than a human.
- falcolas 10y agoReaction time, I can kind of get. But weight, especially when compared to velocity and the coefficient of friction - i.e. the road conditions - has negligible impact. Sure, it increases your traction when stopping, but it also increases the amount of energy which has to be dissipated by the vehicle to stop. Something that has a much greater impact than either would be the road conditions. Wet, dry, icy, sandy, gravel, oily... all have much more impact than either weight or reaction speed. Have a look at this review: http://www.caranddriver.com/features/the-power-to-stop http://www.caranddriver.com/features/the-power-to-stop The quality of the brakes had a much greater impact than the weight of the compared vehicles (a SUV had a stopping range of 355 ft, whereas a coupe had a stopping distance of 365).