What is the main factor determining the braking distance of a motorcycle?
Show the correct answer
Correct answer
C. The type of surface on which the vehicle is moving.
Explanation
In the photo you can see from behind the rear wheel of a motorcycle standing on wet asphalt covered with leaves; behind the wheel there is a mark left by a locked wheel - braking on such a surface ended in a skid. The main factor determining the braking distance of a motorcycle is the type of surface you are riding on - answer C.
Braking distance is the distance from pressing the brake to stopping; it does not include the rider's reaction time, which affects the stopping distance, but not the braking itself. Traction control helps when accelerating and does not shorten braking. That leaves the surface: braking is only as effective as the grip of the tyre on the road. On dry asphalt a motorcycle stops from 50 km/h in a dozen or so metres, on wet asphalt it needs clearly more, and on wet leaves, sand or ice the wheel locks almost immediately and the distance grows several times. That is why the Road Traffic Act requires you to ride at a speed that takes into account the condition and visibility of the road and the weather conditions. A layer of leaves on wet asphalt is one of the most treacherous surfaces for a two-wheeler, and the mark in the photo shows how easy it is to lock the wheel here - brake earlier and more gently.
Legal basis: Art. 19 para. 1 of the Road Traffic Act (Prawo o ruchu drogowym)