Texas Car / Permit practice question · Speed & Space Management
About how long does the average driver take to spot a hazard, decide, and get on the brakes?
Answer choices
- A quarter of a second
- Half a second
- Four seconds
- A second and a half— Correct answer
Why this is the answer
On average, a person needs about a second and a half to think, react and get a foot onto the brake pedal. The handbook's stopping-distance table adds the ground covered in that time to the distance the car travels while braking. A quarter of a second or half a second is too fast to be realistic, and four seconds is far longer than average.
Source: Texas Driver Handbook — Stopping Distance
Content reviewed against official driver handbooks · August 12, 2026
More Speed & Space Management questions
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- What happens to the width of what a driver takes in as speed climbs from a standstill to 60 mph?
- In good conditions at speeds above 30 mph, what is the smallest gap you should keep behind the vehicle in front?
- How does driving at a higher speed affect the distance needed to stop your vehicle?