Tennessee driving lesson · Speed, Space & Stopping
How long it takes to stop
A 3-minute lesson from the Tennessee course. Read the rules and examples, follow the handbook page references, and check your understanding before you move on.
It takes longer to stop than most people think. Before your brakes even start working, you have to notice the danger and move your foot. At highway speed you cover more than a hundred feet in that moment.
At 70 mph at night, a deer appears. It takes 1.16 seconds to see it and move to the brake — 128 feet traveled before braking. Braking adds 290 feet on a good dry road.
Avoid panic stops by spotting events early — slowing or changing lanes may let you avoid stopping at all. Never stop on the road unless needed for safety or to obey a law.
At 60 mph you travel 88 feet every second. Glance down at your phone for just 2 seconds and you've covered 176 feet — more than half a football field — before you could even begin to react.
Check your understanding
Read the question, decide on an answer, then open it to check the explanation. These are Roadwise study questions based on the source handbook.
The three steps involved in bringing a vehicle to a stop are:
Signal, brake, and steer
Perception, reaction, braking
Look, listen, and brake
Perception, signal, and coast
Answer: Perception, reaction, braking
Stopping a vehicle involves perception time, reaction time, and braking time.