Application of the Brake-Marker for Parameterisation of the Vehicle Braking Process

Abstract

Braking efficiency is one of the most important elements of a car’s safety. The length of the braking distance may be influenced by many elements, including the braking system, tire condition, and suspension components, but also the state of the road surface at the braking point. Therefore, the correct determination of the braking distance measurement is one of the most essential elements in the road accident reconstruction process. This article presents a device – a marker for the beginning of the braking process called a Brake-Marker – developed at Łukasiewicz-PIMOT. The structure and operation, as well as the method of using this device in the process of testing vehicles under braking conditions are shown. This work presents the device and its research methodology, leading to the assessment of the possibility of using it to estimate the length of the braking distance at the site of a road incident. The authors of this study offer a thesis that the presented braking device can be used by experts and services to measure the braking distance in road conditions and for the process of road accident reconstruction.

Keywords

• road traffic safety
• vehicle inspections
• braking distance
• braking delay
• adhesion coefficient