British Prime Minister Andy Burnham was unable to answer questions correctly about a car’s stopping distance during a road safety lesson with pupils in Chippenham. He took the result with a sense of humour and joked: “This shows why I’m a bad driver, doesn’t it?”
Burnham was invited to take part in the lesson alongside Year 5 and Year 6 pupils from Monkton Park Primary School. The session took place at Siemens’ Rail Technology Centre and was hosted by television presenter Maddie Moate.
Prime minister guessed 20 metres instead of 14
The first question was how much distance a car travelling at 30 miles per hour, or around 48 kilometres per hour, needs to stop. Burnham guessed 20 metres, while the pupils suggested one and six metres.
The correct answer for the braking distance is 14 metres. According to the UK Highway Code, the total stopping distance at this speed is 23 metres. This includes nine metres travelled during the driver’s reaction time and 14 metres of actual braking distance.
Even bigger difference at 60 miles per hour
In the next question, about a car travelling at 60 miles per hour, or around 96 kilometres per hour, the prime minister gave 30 metres. The pupils suggested 28 and six metres.
Maddie Moate announced that the correct braking distance was 55 metres. The total stopping distance at this speed reaches 73 metres - 18 metres for reaction time and 55 metres of braking distance.
“There are no wrong answers; the important thing is to take part. This is science - we have to be curious, don’t we?”, the presenter told the pupils.
Visit focused on work experience
During his visit to Siemens, Burnham assembled an electronic circuit board with apprentices and took part in a science, technology, engineering and mathematics lesson. The session was broadcast live to classrooms across the country.
The visit was linked to the government’s plans to create more work experience opportunities for young people and overcome barriers to finding employment.
Sources: news.bg, standard.co.uk