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Stopping


Brake, BRAKE, BRAKE NOW!

Hope you've never heard those words. Ever thought about how a vehicle slows down?

Brakes are pads that a pedal or lever pushes onto a car or bike's wheels to stop them rotating. This transfers the kinetic energy of the car into heat energy and sound energy through friction. The time taken to stop a vehicle - the overall stopping distance - depends on its speed and includes both the

  • time for the driver to react and
  • time for the brakes to actually bring it to a halt.
     

Stopping distance at 70 = 96m 

A driver's or cycle rider's reaction time can be affected negatively by many things but two that can easily be remedied are

  • Tiredness
  • Driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol
     
tiredness kills take a break

Causing death by careless driving when under the influence of drink or drugs carries a maximum penalty of 14 years in prison, a minimum 2 year driving ban and a requirement to pass an extended driving test before being able to drive legally again. But simply being found unfit to drive through drink or drugs carries only a maximum 6 month jail sentence. Is this fair when any drunken driver is a potential killer?


Creating friction


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ETHICAL ISSUES INVOLVED
Text equivalent:

Do no harm

An average car weighs just over a ton, if the driver loses control through carelessness or tiredness any pedestrians or cyclists in the way will be severely hurt or killed.

A date to remember

The third Sunday of November each year is the

World Day of Rememberance for Road Traffic Victims

Started by RoadPeace the UK National Charity for road traffic victims