Are students’ conceptions about automobile braking distances correct? In the evening news, one can often encounter a reportage describing a car accident involving young people who overestimated their abilities or the capabilities of their motor vehicle. In many cases, these accidents end tragically, with the cause of the accident being attributed to the driver´s inability to adjust his/her driving to the external conditions and the state of the road.

The purpose of this study is to assess young drivers' understanding of vehicle braking distances and evaluate their ability to estimate the distance necessary to bring the car to a full stop, under various conditions. Are the young people sufficiently prepared in this area? Do they know what should be the speed of the car they are driving if it should be stopped at a sufficient distance from an obstruction, and if they don’t, what are the options to rectify this lack of knowledge?

We evaluated the conceptions about the car braking distances of the first-year students of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology at the University of Žilina. These students were taking the course on Introduction to Physics, and the testing was done just after covering kinematics and dynamics in the traditional lectures.

Students were given the following task: “Determine the braking distances of the automobile Citroën C6 when braking at speeds of 30, 50, 70, 90, 100, and 130 km/h on an asphalt road. The car is equipped with summer tires, and the driver applies maximum braking force.”

Additionally, students studying program Road Transport at the Faculty of Operation and Economics of Transport and Communications at the University of Žilina, from both bachelor´s and master´s programs and all classes have been asked following question: “Compare the braking distance of the following vehicles: 40t truck and 2t car, which of them will have longer braking distance?” Another question that the students were supposed to answer was: “How many times longer will be the braking distance of the vehicle chosen in the previous answer?”

Our findings indicate that students' conceptions about the braking distances of a motor vehicle are usually not correct. We analyzed students´ initial estimates and how their understanding changed after watching a video of real braking scenarios. The interactive computer program Tracker, together with professional device XL Meter Pro were used for the analysis of the braking process of the car.

To further validate our findings, we conducted an experimental comparison of braking distances using a Volvo S80 under different road conditions (dry, wet, and snowy) with both summer and winter tires. Results obtained from video analysis using Tracker were compared with measurements from the professional XL Meter Pro device.

Keywords: Video analysis, misconceptions, physics teaching, STEM education.