least traction
of
all. You can get “wet ice” when it’s
about freezing
(32
OF;
OOC)
and freezing rain begins to
fall. Try to avoid driving on wet ice until salt and sand
crews can get there.
Whatever the condition
--
smooth ice, packed, blowing
or loose snow
--
drive with caution. Accelerate gently.
Try not to break
the
fragile traction. If you accelerate
too fast, the drive wheels will spin and polish the surface
under
the
tires
even
more.
Your anti-lock brakes improve your ability to make a
hard stop
on
a slippery road. Even though you have
the
anti-lock braking system, you’ll want to begin stopping
sooner than you would on dry pavement. See
“Anti-lock”
in
the Index.
0
Allow greater following distance on any slippery road.
0
Watch for slippery spots. The road might be fine
until
you
hit a spot that’s covered with ice. On an
otherwise clear road, ice patches may appear
in
shaded areas where the sun can’t reach: around
clumps of trees, behind buildings, or under bridges.
Sometimes the surface
of
a curve or an overpass may
remain icy when the surrounding roads are clear. If
you
see a patch of ice ahead of you, brake before you
are on it. Try not to brake while you’re actually on
the ice, and avoid sudden steering maneuvers.
If
You’re Caught
in
a
Blizzard
If you are stopped by heavy snow, you could be
in
a
serious situation. You should probably stay with your
vehicle unless you know for sure that you are near help
and you can
hike
through the snow. Here are some
things to do to summon help and keep yourself and your
passengers safe: Turn on your hazard flashers. Tie a red
cloth
to
your vehicle to alert police that you’ve been
stopped by the snow. Put on extra clothing or wrap a
blanket around you. If you have no blankets or extra
clothing, make body insulators from newspapers, burlap
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