Compared to a passenger car at 55 mph, how much farther can a large vehicle need to come to a full stop?
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A.
Up to about 100 feet farther Correct
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B.
Roughly the same distance
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C.
Nearly twice as far
The answer is "Up to about 100 feet farther"
A passenger vehicle at 55 mph stops within 300 feet; a large vehicle at the same speed can take up to 400 feet, about 100 feet more. The 'nearly twice as far' answer catches drivers who carry over a general rule that trucks take twice the distance of a car to stop, when the manual sets the gap at a specific 100 feet.
The traps in the wrong answers
B. Roughly the same distance
The manual sets a specific gap between the two figures, so 'the same distance' contradicts the numbers it names. Assumes modern truck brakes close the gap with cars, collapsing the manual's separate 300- and 400-foot figures into one.
C. Nearly twice as far
The manual sets the gap at about 100 feet, not double the passenger-car figure. Recalls a driver's-ed rule of thumb that trucks need twice a car's stopping distance, rather than the 300-versus-400-foot figures the manual names.
This question tests your knowledge of Sharing the Road in California. Source: California Driver Manual, "Sharing the Road, Braking," p.42..
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