Question 1Warm-upFoundation
A driver's reaction time is 0.7 s and the car travels at 20 m/s. Calculate the thinking distance.
Distance = speed × time.
Worked solution
- m
Answer: m
GCSE & IGCSE physics practice
Stopping distance questions and answers
A vehicle's stopping distance is the thinking distance (travelled during the driver's reaction time) plus the braking distance (travelled while the brakes act). Thinking distance = speed × reaction time. Typical reaction times are 0.2 s to 0.9 s. The last questions use work done = force × distance to find braking distances.
15 questions · Foundation tier · Every answer is checked as you type it, with a full worked solution. Updated .
Where stopping distance comes up
| GCSE (AQA) | Physics and Combined Science, Foundation and Higher: stopping distance = thinking distance + braking distance, and the factors affecting each. GCSE Physics only: estimate emergency stopping distances over a range of speeds and interpret speed–stopping distance graphs. |
|---|---|
| Cambridge IGCSE (0625) | Stopping distances aren't in the 2026 to 2028 syllabus. |
The method
- Thinking distance = speed × reaction time.
- Stopping distance = thinking distance + braking distance.
- Thinking distance depends on speed and reaction time (tiredness, alcohol, drugs, distractions).
- Braking distance depends on speed, road and tyre conditions, brakes and mass. Braking force × braking distance = kinetic energy lost.
Stopping distance questions
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Warm-up
Question 2Warm-upFoundation
A car's thinking distance is 14 m and its braking distance is 24 m. What is its stopping distance?
Add them.
Worked solution
- m
Answer: m
Question 9Warm-upFoundation
A car travels at 25 m/s and the driver's reaction time is 0.8 s. Calculate the thinking distance.
Thinking distance = speed × reaction time.
Worked solution
- m
Answer: m
Question 10Warm-upFoundation
A car's stopping distance is 53 m and its thinking distance is 15 m. What is its braking distance?
Stopping = thinking + braking.
Worked solution
- Braking m
Answer: m
Exam-style
Question 3Exam-styleFoundation
At 30 m/s, a driver's thinking distance is 18 m. Calculate their reaction time.
Time = distance ÷ speed.
Worked solution
- s
Answer: s
Question 4Exam-styleFoundation
A car travels at 13 m/s. The driver's reaction time is 0.5 s and the braking distance is 14 m. Calculate the stopping distance.
Find the thinking distance first.
Worked solution
- Thinking distance m
- Stopping distance m
Answer: m
Question 5Exam-styleFoundation
Which of these increases the thinking distance?
Thinking distance depends on the driver.
Worked solution
- Tiredness, alcohol, drugs and distractions slow reactions, so the car goes further before braking starts.
Answer: A tired driver: it increases the reaction time
Question 6Exam-styleFoundation
Which of these increases the braking distance but not the thinking distance?
Braking distance depends on the car and the road.
Worked solution
- A wet or icy road reduces friction, so the brakes take longer to stop the car. The driver's reaction isn't affected.
Answer: A wet road: less friction between the tyres and the road
Question 11Exam-styleFoundation
A car travels at 72 km/h. The driver's reaction time is 0.6 s. Calculate the thinking distance.
Convert km/h to m/s first: divide by 3.6.
Worked solution
- m/s
- m
Answer: m
Question 12Exam-styleFoundation
Thinking distance increases at the same rate as speed. A driver going at 40 mph has a thinking distance of 12 m. What is their thinking distance at 60 mph?
Thinking distance is proportional to speed (same reaction time).
Worked solution
- m
Answer: m
Question 13Exam-styleFoundation
Which of these increases the braking distance?
Braking distance depends on the car and the road; thinking distance depends on the driver.
Worked solution
- Ice reduces friction between the tyres and the road, so the car takes further to stop. The other three increase reaction time, which affects thinking distance.
Answer: An icy road
Challenge
Question 7ChallengeFoundation
A 1000 kg car travelling at 20 m/s brakes with a constant force of 5000 N. Calculate its braking distance.
Work done by the brakes = kinetic energy lost.
Worked solution
- J
- , so m
Answer: m
Question 8ChallengeFoundation
With the same braking force, a car's speed doubles. By what factor does its braking distance increase?
Braking distance is proportional to kinetic energy, which depends on speed squared.
Worked solution
- , so .
- Doubling multiplies by .
Answer: times
Question 14ChallengeFoundation
A 1200 kg car travelling at 15 m/s stops in a braking distance of 30 m. Calculate the average braking force.
Work done by the brakes = kinetic energy of the car.
Worked solution
- KE J
- N
Answer: N
Question 15ChallengeFoundation
A car's braking distance is 12 m at 10 m/s. With the same braking force, what is its braking distance at 30 m/s?
Braking distance is proportional to speed squared.
Worked solution
- Speed × 3, so braking distance ×
- m
Answer: m
Common mistakes
- Giving the braking distance as the stopping distance.
- Thinking that ice affects the thinking distance.
- Forgetting that braking distance goes up four times when speed doubles.
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Sources
The questions are our own. The “where it comes up” notes are from each board's published specification, checked on 27 October 2026:
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