If you increase your speed, how much will your stopping distance increase?

When you increase your speed, the stopping distance increases at a rate that is proportional to the square of your speed. This means that if you double your speed, the stopping distance does not just double; it actually increases by four times. This principle is based on the physics of motion, particularly the kinetic energy involved in stopping a vehicle. The kinetic energy of a moving object is calculated by the formula ( KE = \frac{1}{2} mv^2 ), where ( m ) is mass and ( v ) is velocity. As speed increases, the energy that needs to be dissipated through braking also increases significantly.

Therefore, if the vehicle's speed is increased, the stopping distance will increase quadratically relative to the speed increase. This makes the answer that indicates a fourfold increase in stopping distance when speed is doubled the correct one, as it reflects the underlying physics accurately. Understanding this relationship between speed and stopping distance is crucial for safe driving, especially in controlling larger vehicles like those requiring a commercial driver’s license.