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Difficulty: EasyAdjusting Margins in Ice and Snow

In normal dry conditions, a car travelling at 30 mph30\text{ mph} has an average total stopping distance of 23 metres23\text{ metres}. According to the Highway Code, stopping distances on icy surfaces can increase by up to 1010 times. What is the maximum overall stopping distance, in metres, that a driver should anticipate on an icy road at this speed?

Answer: 230 metres

Answer

The maximum overall stopping distance on an icy road is 230 metres.
Under the Highway Code, stopping distances on icy or snowy surfaces can be up to 10 times greater than on dry roads. For a car travelling at 30 mph with a baseline stopping distance of 23 metres, the overall stopping distance on ice can reach up to 230 metres (23 m×10=230 m23\text{ m} \times 10 = 230\text{ m}).

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Note the standard overall stopping distance on dry asphalt at 30 mph.
Baseline stopping distance = 23 metres.
This serves as the standard baseline reference distance prior to applying adverse weather factors.
2
Identify the Highway Code stopping distance multiplier for packed ice and snow.
Multiplier = 10.
Tyre adhesion on ice is drastically reduced, requiring up to ten times the standard dry stopping distance.
3
Calculate the maximum expected stopping distance under icy conditions.
23 metres * 10 = 230 metres.
Multiplying the normal dry stopping distance by the adverse weather factor gives the total distance required to stop safely.

Key Concept

Highway Code stopping distance adjustment on ice and snow
Estimated Time:45s
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Topics

Adjusting Margins in Ice and Snow

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