Braking

Large vehicles and commercial trucks take longer to stop than passenger vehicles traveling at the same speed. When traveling, they create extra space in front of their vehicle to use if they need to stop suddenly. The average passenger vehicle traveling at 55 mph can stop within 300 feet. A large vehicle traveling at the same speed can take up to 400 feet to stop. The heavier the vehicle and the faster it is moving, the longer it takes to safely stop, so a loaded truck will take longer to stop than an empty truck. Do not move in front of a large vehicle and suddenly slow down or stop. The large vehicle will not be able to stop fast enough to avoid crashing into you.