According to a study performed in 1997 by Texas A&M University for the Transportation Research Board of the National Research Council (available at their website) people driving at night using low-beam headlights cannot see a large animal like a deer at a distance of between 110 anywhere from about 80 m to 100 m. Another study performed in 1998 by the U.S. Army for the Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration indicated that 43 m is a good braking distance for a sedan with anti-lock brakes traveling at 100 km/h and 50 m is a poor braking distance. If you were driving down the highway at 100 km/h at night using your low-beam headlights, how much time do you have to react to an animal in the road, assuming you notice it at a distance of 95 m and your car has a braking distance of 45 43 m? In other words, how much time can elapse between the instant you first spot the animal and the instant you hit the brakes?
...