If the speed increases from 20 mph to 60 mph, how much more braking distance is required?

The relationship between speed and braking distance is crucial for understanding safe driving practices, especially for commercial drivers. When the speed of a vehicle increases, the kinetic energy of that vehicle also increases, which significantly affects how much distance is required to stop.

Braking distance is influenced by the square of the speed. To illustrate this concept, if a vehicle's speed doubles, the braking distance increases by a factor of four (2 squared). So, if the speed increases from 20 mph to 60 mph, which is a threefold increase in speed (20 mph to 30 mph is one increase, 30 mph to 40 mph is two, and 40 mph to 60 mph is three), we calculate the change in braking distance based on this increase.

The mathematical relationship can be expressed as follows:

1. At 20 mph, if we consider the braking distance to be a certain value, let's call it D.

2. At 60 mph (which is three times 20 mph), the braking distance would then increase by the square of the speed factor. Thus, it becomes 3 squared, which equals 9. Therefore, the braking distance required at 60 mph is nine times the braking distance required at 20 mph.

This