If you ask most drivers how quickly they react on the road when things change unexpectedly, they’ll probably tell you that they react right away. For instance, if the driver ahead of them hits the brakes, they immediately hit their own brakes to slow down and avoid a rear-end crash.
But people tend to overestimate their driving abilities and reaction times. Statistically, researchers have found that there are two notable delays. The first is just a delay in how long it takes the rear driver to realize they need to hit the brakes, since it’s an unexpected event that they didn’t see coming. It’s impossible for them to simultaneously hit the brakes.
The second delay just accounts for physical movement. A driver should only be using one foot, so they have to take it off of the gas pedal and move it over to the brake pedal. Combined, these two delays take 1.5 seconds.
Isn’t that almost instantaneous?
It may be tempting to think that a 1.5-second delay doesn’t mean much, but you have to remember how fast vehicles are traveling. For instance, if someone is driving at 55 mph, their car is going to cover roughly 121 feet during this short delay. Even though they need to be slowing down, for more than 100 feet, the driver is still traveling at the same rate of speed.
Additionally, there may be factors that increase these delays. If the driver is distracted by their phone or if they’re feeling fatigued, it could take even longer than 1.5 seconds. A driver may cover the distance of an entire football field before they actually begin slowing down.
This delay can lead to rear-end accidents, especially when drivers are not attentive. Those who suffer injuries need to know how to seek financial compensation.