What’s the worst time for this? “Wet ice.” Very cold snow or ice can be
slick and hard
to
drive on.
But
wet ice can be even more trouble because it
may offer the least traction of all.
You
can get “wet ice”
when
it’s about
freezing
(32°F;
0°C)
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 an anti-lock braking system, you’ll
want to begin stopping sooner than you would on dry pavement. See
“Anti-lock” in the Index.
Allow greater following distance on any slippery road.
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.
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