Slippery road clues — Montana Permit Test

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

A driver who sees dry road in the sun hits a patch of ice under the trees at the same speed.

On cold, wet days, shady spots can be icy.

Bridge pavement can be icy when other pavement is not, because bridges have no earth underneath to insulate them against the cold.

A driver who finds the road clear brakes on the overpass and finds it glazed with ice.

The pavement on bridges can be icy even when other areas of pavement are not.

Ice near the freezing point can become wet, which makes it more slippery than ice at temperatures well below freezing.

A driver who thinks a mild day means safer ice is driving on the slickest ice there is.

Ice can become wet when it is near the freezing point.

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

The first sprinkle on hot asphalt turns it into a film of oil before the rain can wash it away.

If it starts to rain on a hot day, the pavement can be very slippery for the first few minutes.

On cold, wet days, which spots on the road are likely to be icy?

Shady spots. A driver who sees dry road in the sun hits a patch of ice under the trees at the same speed. Montana Driver Manual, p.60: “On cold, wet days, shady spots can be icy.”