Comment Re:Easy to solve - calibrate them to overestimate (Score 1) 398
Do you even understand what stopping distance or what reaction time means at all???
Why do you think driver's handbooks mentions Braking Distance along with Reaction Time??
It is important to note that the graph below illustrates the braking distance AFTER YOU HAVE APPLIED YOUR BRAKES. To this must be added a REACTION DISTANCE, which is the distance you travel from seeing the danger to putting your foot on the brake pedal. Since 3/4 second is the average reaction time, a motorist will travel 11 feet for each 10 m.p.h. of speed before hitting the brake. At 50 m.p.h. this distance would be 55 feet!
If you are doing 30 mph, this means you are traveling 30 mph * 5280 ft/mi / 60 mins/hr / 60 secs/min = 44 ft / sec. Let's even give you the benefit of the doubt and say your reaction time is 3/4 seconds -- far quicker then the average reaction of around 1.5 seconds.
* Your reaction distance is: ~0.75 sec to react to the light change * 44 ft / sec = 33 ft ! (Agrees with the estimate of 11 ft / 10 mph)
* Your braking distance is: 40 feet.
* Your total distance to stop is: 74 feet !
Which matches what this graph shows for the total distance to stop for various speeds:
* http://www.drivingtesttips.biz...
This means that if the light turns yellow or red and if you are closer then 74 feet, you'll stop past the white line, well into the intersection.
ERGO, you should RUN the light to get OUT of the intersection.
Who ever told you to never run a yellow or red light was a fucking idiot.