A car traveling at 30 mph on dry pavement requires about how many feet of stopping distance?

When considering stopping distances, various factors such as the speed of the vehicle, road conditions, and the driver's reaction time must be taken into account. For a car traveling at 30 mph on dry pavement, the total stopping distance typically includes both the perception-reaction distance (the distance the car travels while the driver reacts to a hazard) and the braking distance (the distance the car travels after the brakes are applied).

At 30 mph, the perception-reaction time is usually estimated at approximately 1.5 seconds. During this time, the vehicle continues to travel forward. The average distance traveled during this reaction time is approximately 44 feet. After the driver applies the brakes, the car’s braking distance can be estimated using basic stopping distance formulas, which indicate that stopping distance increases with the square of the speed. For a car moving at 30 mph, this braking distance is typically around 36 feet.

Thus, the total stopping distance can be calculated as follows: approximately 44 feet (for the perception-reaction distance) plus approximately 36 feet (for the braking distance), totaling around 80 feet. Given that the correct answer aligns with that estimation, it accurately reflects the average stopping distance required for a car at that speed on dry pavement