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Question

Difficulty: MediumWinter Driving

Roadway ice provides significantly less tire traction at temperatures well below freezing (such as 0°F / -18°C) than it does when the ambient temperature warms up to the freezing point (32°F / 0°C).

Answer: Answer

Answer

False
The statement is false because ice becomes significantly more slippery as the temperature approaches the melting point of 32°F (0°C). When ice begins to thaw, a thin film of water coats the surface, creating 'wet ice,' which affords far less traction than colder, dry-frozen ice at 0°F (-18°C).

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze how ambient temperature influences the surface characteristics of roadway ice.
Identify that as ambient temperatures rise toward the freezing/melting threshold of 32°F (0°C), a thin layer of liquid water develops over the ice.
This condition is known as 'wet ice,' where the surface meltwater acts as a lubricant between the vehicle tires and the road surface.
2
Compare relative tire traction between hard-frozen sub-zero ice and melting ice.
Recognize that tires achieve significantly more traction on dry, hard-frozen ice at 0°F (-18°C) than on wet ice at 32°F (0°C).
Commercial driver training establishes that wet ice provides roughly half the traction of ice at sub-zero temperatures.
3
Evaluate the statement's validity against established CDL winter driving principles.
The statement asserts the exact opposite of physical vehicle dynamics and official CDL rules.
Because traction is lowest when ice is near 32°F rather than at sub-zero temperatures, the statement is false.

Key Concept

Wet Ice Traction vs. Hard-Frozen Ice Dynamics
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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Topics

Winter Driving

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