Final answer:
To safely pass another vehicle on a two-lane highway at a speed of 55 miles per hour, it is estimated that a total minimum distance of approximately 1700 feet is required. This includes the distance to approach, overtake, and safely return to the original lane plus additional space for vehicle length and safety buffer.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question involves finding the distance required to safely pass another vehicle at a certain speed on a two-lane highway. To calculate this, one must consider the speed of the vehicle and the time required to perform the passing maneuver safely. At a speed of 55 miles per hour, a vehicle covers over 800 feet in 10 seconds. When passing, a driver needs to account for the distance to accelerate, overtake another car, and return to the original lane safely, all before encountering oncoming traffic.
Since this is a mathematical calculation that involves speed, distance, and time, we can use formulas to find the necessary passing distance. Assuming the passing car maintains a 55 mph speed and requires the same distance for safely returning to the lane as it took to approach and overtake the vehicle, the total distance would be twice the distance traveled in 10 seconds.
Thus, the required distance to safely pass would be 800 feet to approach, 800 feet to return, plus the vehicle length and safety buffer. As vehicle lengths can vary, and a safety buffer should account for reaction times and speed variances, let's add an estimated 100 feet for these considerations. The total minimum safe passing distance would be approximately 1700 feet.