Slippery roads — Connecticut Permit Test

Slow down at the first sign of rain, snow or sleet, because all of them make the roadway slippery.

The first few minutes are the worst, and waiting to feel the car slide is waiting until it is too late.

Slow down at the first sign of rain, snow, or sleet.

On a wet road you should reduce your speed by about 10 mph.

The posted limit was set for a dry surface, so a wet one needs a figure taken off it rather than a judgment call.

On a wet road, you should reduce your speed by about 10 mph.

On packed snow you should cut your speed in half.

Packed snow is polished by the traffic in front of you, so it grips far less than fresh snow does.

On packed snow, you should cut your speed in half.

On ice you must slow to a crawl, and it is very dangerous to drive on ice at all.

Ice offers almost nothing to grip. At anything above walking pace the car goes where it was already going.

On ice, you must slow to a crawl.

Studded tires are permitted in Connecticut from November 15th through April 30th.

Studs chew up dry pavement, so the state allows them only across the months when ice is likely.

Studded tires are permitted in Connecticut from November 15th through April 30th.

On cold wet days shady spots can be icy, because they freeze first and dry out last.

The sun is doing the de-icing, and a stretch of road it never reaches stays frozen while the rest is clear.

On cold, wet days, shady spots can be icy. These areas freeze first and dry out last.

The pavement on bridges can be icy when other pavement is not, because a bridge has no earth underneath to insulate it against the cold.

A bridge deck loses heat from both sides at once, so it reaches freezing while the road either side is merely wet.

This is because bridges do not have earth underneath them to help insulate them against the cold and thus can be colder and icier than other roadways.

Ice near the freezing point can become wet, and wet ice is more slippery than ice at temperatures well below freezing.

A film of water on ice acts like a bearing. Cold ice is rough by comparison.

When the temperature is around the freezing point, ice can become wet. This makes it more slippery than at temperatures well below freezing.

When it starts to rain on a hot day the pavement can be more slippery for the first few minutes, because heat brings the oil in the asphalt to the surface.

The road is briefly greasy rather than merely wet, and it catches drivers who are used to rain being predictable.

Heat causes the oil in the asphalt to come to the surface.

When does a driver slow for rain, snow or sleet?

At the first sign of it. The first few minutes are the worst, and waiting to feel the car slide is waiting until it is too late. Connecticut Driver's Manual, p.25: “Slow down at the first sign of rain, snow, or sleet.”