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,
If
you have traction control, keep the system on. It will
improve your ability to accelerate when driving on a
slippery road. Even though your vehicle has a traction
control system, you’ll want to slow down and adjust
your driving to
the
road conditions. See “Traction
Control System” in the Index,
If
you don’t have the traction control system, 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 vehicle’s stability
when you 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.
Allow greater following distance on any
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.
slippery road.
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