“Don’t Stop Me Now” might be the refrain of the famous song by Queen (and you’re welcome for getting it stuck in your head), but when you’re driving, you always need to be prepared to stop suddenly. Maybe someone swerves, maybe a kid runs out onto the road, maybe the vehicle in front of you brakes abruptly. There are all sorts of hazards and reasons that might require you to stop without warning, but the fact of the matter is that if you want to drive safely, you need to be able to stop quickly.
Of course, your vehicle doesn’t come to a stop the moment you step on the brakes. The laws of physics are a harsh mistress, and conservation of momentum and inertia and all that jazz take effect. Even once you’ve pumped on the brakes, your vehicle can travel quite some distance before finally halting, and it will take longer to stop in wet or icy conditions. The time it takes you to stop is proportional to how fast you’re going, too – that’s why those “Wipe Off 5” ads give good advice. 5 km/h matters in these situations, and a few metres can be the difference between stopping just before you run someone over, and slamming straight into them.
Another way to reduce stopping distance is to keep your tyres properly inflated with a tyre pressure monitoring system. Underinflated tyres don’t have as much traction, so it takes longer for them to get a proper grip on the road and bring your vehicle to a halt. A TPMS will keep you aware of the pressure inside your tyres, so you are equipped to manage the inflation and keep yourself safe. So remember – be careful in wet weather, don’t speed, and use a tyre pressure monitor to help keep your tyres pumped up.