Simulation of the Car Braking Distance as a Function of Driving Speed

In this article, the simulation of the braking distance of two cars moving at different speeds is conducted. The first car was moving at 55 km/h and the other at 50 km/h. The simulation was run with the use of V-SIM software. The cars had to come to a standstill in front of a pedestrian and cycle crossing. The simulation confirmed the longer braking distance of the car moving at the higher speed thus leading to a cyclist being knocked down. The braking distance for this vehicle was 19.8 m and for a vehicle traveling at the maximum permissible speed it was 16.6 m. The simulation also showed that in the case of drivers moving at a speed of 55 km/h, eighty percent braking efficiency is achieved after driving 5.33 m from the moment of braking, which extends the braking distance by approximately 0.5 m compared to a car moving at 50 km/h. The aim of this article is to make the reader aware that failure to adjust the vehicle speed to prevailing road conditions or current restrictions increases the braking distance and that the consequences of such behaviour may be tragic, even if the allowable speed is exceeded only slightly.