Which of the following can increase your vehicle's stopping distance (i.e., the length of your danger zone)?
- Bad weather
- Heavy loads
- Faster speeds
- All of the above ✓
Answer: D. All of the above
All of the above can increase stopping distance: bad weather, heavy loads and faster speeds.
Why this is the answer
The handbook says bad weather requires you to change your driving procedures and adjust speed to road, weather and traffic conditions, and that in bad weather you need extra space to brake safely. It also explains that increasing weight or speed raises the demand on the brakes: stopping distance grows with vehicle weight, and when speed doubles the stopping distance goes up four times. So weather, load and speed all affect how far a truck needs to stop.
Why the other answers are wrong
- A. Bad weather — Bad weather is only one of the factors named, and the handbook also ties stopping distance to weight and speed.
- B. Heavy loads — A heavy load is only one of the factors named, and the handbook also ties stopping distance to weather and speed.
- C. Faster speeds — Faster speed is only one of the factors named, and the handbook also ties stopping distance to weather and load.
Remember it
Think of three dials that stretch your danger zone: wet or snowy roads, a heavy trailer, and a heavy right foot.