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.
0
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.
4-27
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