#66
4.5.6.10 Reaction Time
Paper 2 · Higher combined
Spec reference: 4.5.6 (subtopic).
What you need to know
- Reaction time is the time taken for the driver to
- respond to a hazard. It varies from 0.2s to 0.9s
- between most people.
- Reaction time is affected by:
- • tiredness
- • drugs
- • alcohol
- • distractions
Self-assessment (checklist)
- I can give the typical range of reaction times for a
- I can name four factors that can affect a driver’s
- I can explain methods to measure human reaction
- I can interpret and evaluate measurements from simple
- I can evaluate the effect of various factors on thinking
Key steps (method)
- Identify what the question is testing and use the correct equation/definition.
- Show substitutions and units clearly.
Common mistakes
- Unit conversions, rearranging errors, or quoting a law without applying it.