Slowing down a little can reduce braking distance a lot.
Motorcycles that stop really well are capable of braking to a stop from 60 mph in a distance of about 110 feet. So how long would it take the same bike to brake from 30 mph to zero? It's half the speed...so it must take half the distance, right? Actually, no. Through the magic of physics, the braking distance from half the speed would be about one-fourth the distance, or 28 feet. It turns out that slowing down by only 18 mph (to 42) is all that is required in this case to halve your stopping distance. So how can we use this information to enhance our safety while riding? When you find yourself in one of those all-too-common situations where you might need to stop suddenly, like urban streets with lots of intersections or when approaching a potential left-turner, keep in mind that even a relatively moderate reduction in speed will allow you to reduce your stopping distance considerably