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Difficulty: MediumAdjusting Margins in Ice and Snow

When driving on an icy road, increasing your following distance to four seconds (double the normal dry-weather gap) provides an adequate safety margin to stop safely.

Answer: Answer

Answer

False
The statement is false because doubling the two-second rule to four seconds applies only to wet weather. On icy roads, stopping distances can be up to ten times greater than in dry conditions, requiring a separation gap of up to 20 seconds.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the standard following distance for normal conditions and the adjustment for wet weather.
The standard dry-road separation is at least 2 seconds, which is doubled to 4 seconds in wet weather.
This establishes the baseline margin adjustments for various road conditions.
2
Determine the safety margin multiplier required for ice and snow under The Highway Code.
Overall stopping distances can increase by up to 10 times on ice compared to dry tarmac.
Severe loss of tyre grip on icy surfaces drastically extends the braking distance.
3
Evaluate whether a 4-second gap provides an adequate safety margin on ice.
A 4-second gap is dangerously inadequate for ice because it only accounts for wet-weather braking distances rather than the ten-fold increase seen on ice.
To verify the truth value of the statement.

Key Concept

Following distances and stopping distance multipliers on ice and snow
Estimated Time:45s
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Topics

Adjusting Margins in Ice and Snow

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