Introduction
Summary of
Findings
The popularity of mobile
devices has had some
unintended and even fatal
consequences. Mobile
communications are linked to a
significant increase in
distracted driving, resulting in
injury and tragic loss of life.
My calculations reveal that
stopping distance is increased
when reaction time is increased.
This reveals that certain
distracting behavior, such as
texting, increases distance
necessary for coming to a
complete stop. Because of this,
my calculations suggest that,
given a person is texting while
driving, he or she is more likely
to have an accident in the case
of, for example, another car
coming to an abrupt stop in front
of him or her. In addition, the
total stopping time when
distraction is a factor is longer
for each given speed. I therefore
conclude that, as proved with
kinematics, texting while driving
poses a serious danger. With
physics backing me up, I
encourage all drivers to resist
thee urge to text while driving.
One text is not worth it.
At any given daylight moment
across America, approximately
660,000 drivers are using cell
phones while driving. The
National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration reported
that in 2012, driver distraction
was the cause of 18% of fatal
accidents. The Virginia Tech
Transportation Institute found
that text messaging creates a
crash risk 23 times worse than
driving while not distracted
(“The Dangers”).
One text is not worth a life.
The Physics
of
Distracted
Driving
By Sarah Wells

AP Physics
Pd. 2
12/13/14
Stopping Distances, Reaction
Time Impaired
Stopping Distances, Reaction
Time Not Impaired
Initial
Speed
(mph)
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
Stopping
Time (s)
1.947
2.394
2.841
3.288
3.735
4.182
4.629
Reaction
Distance
(m)
6.71
13.41
20.12
26.82
33.53
40.23
46.94
Braking
Distance
(m)
.999
3.996
8.99
15.98
24.98
35.97
48.95
Total
Distance
(m)
7.71
17.41
29.11
42.8
58.51
76.2
95.89
Initial
Speed
(mph)
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
2.247
2.694
3.141
3.588
4.035
4.482
4.929
Reaction
Distance
(m)
8.05
16.02
24.14
32.18
40.23
48.28
56.32
Braking
Distance
(m)
.999
3.996
8.99
15.98
24.98
35.97
48.95
Total
Distance
(m)
9.05
20.02
33.13
48.16
65.21
84.25
105.27
Speed Prior to Braking vs
Stopping Distance
120
120
100
100
Stopping distance (m)
Stopping distance (m)
Speed Prior to Braking vs
Stopping Distance
Stopping
Time (s)
Introduction to the
Kinematics of Driving
80
60
40
20
80
60
Physics Kinematic Equations
are used to describe and
represent the motion of
objects—displacement, velocity,
acceleration, and time. The
Kinematic Equations are a set
of 4 equations that are used to
predict unknown information
about an object’s motion given
other information is known.
These equations can be
specifically applied to the
motion of vehicles. For
example, stopping distance can
be found by finding the sum of
the “reaction distance” and the
“braking distance”—both of
which can be can be found
using the Kinematic Equations.
Kinematics can also be used to
find total stopping time given
initial velocity, final velocity,
and deceleration are known.
Below is a sample calculation in which I
use a Kinematic Equation to find
braking distance at 10 mph.
40
20
𝑣𝑓2 = 𝑣𝑖2 + 2 𝑎 ∆𝑥
0
0
0
20
40
60
Speed prior to braking (mph)
Slope= 1.47 m/mph
80
0
20
40
60
Speed prior to braking (mph)
80
02 = 4.47𝑚/𝑠
2
+ 2 −10𝑚/𝑠 2 ∆𝑥
2
∆𝑥 = −4.47 −20 = .999 𝑚
Slope= 1.61 m/mph
Works Cited
“The Dangers of Texting While Driving.” FCC.gov. Federal Communications Commission, n.d. Web. 13 Dec. 14.
Note: 10 mph was converted to 4.47
m/s through dimensional analysis