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Driving on Snow or Ice
Most of the time, those places where the tires
meet the road probably have good traction.
However, if there is snow or ice between the tires
and the road, you can have a very slippery
situation. You will have a lot less traction, or grip,
and will need to be very careful.
What is 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 is 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.
Unless you have the Anti-Lock Brake System
(ABS), you will want to brake very gently,
too. If you do have ABS, see Anti-Lock Brake
System (ABS) on page 293. This system improves
your vehicle’s stability when you make a hard
stop on a slippery road. Whether you have ABS or
not, you will want to begin stopping sooner than
you would on dry pavement. Without ABS, if
you feel your vehicle begin to slide, let up on the
brakes a little. Push the brake pedal down
steadily to get the most traction you can.
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