The best way to stop quickly on a wet or icy roadway is to…?
- Apply brakes the same way you always do
- Apply the brakes hard and try to prevent vehicle from skidding
- Keep your foot off the brakes and let the vehicle slow and stop naturally
- Brake, and if the wheels lock then release pressure until you come to a stop ✓
Answer: D. Brake, and if the wheels lock then release pressure until you come to a stop
Brake, and if the wheels lock, release pressure until you come to a stop.
Why this is the answer
The handbook's threshold braking method says to brake as hard as you can, and if a wheel starts to lock, ease off the pedal slightly so the wheel can roll again, then apply pressure again. This gives a reasonably quick controlled stop in slippery conditions without causing a skid. The answer matches that idea: brake, and when the wheels lock, release pressure rather than keeping the brakes locked.
Why the other answers are wrong
- A. Apply brakes the same way you always do — Braking the same way you always do ignores the handbook's specific slippery-road method of easing off when a wheel begins to lock.
- B. Apply the brakes hard and try to prevent vehicle from skidding — Braking hard and only trying to prevent a skid misses the handbook step of releasing brake pressure slightly when a wheel starts to lock.
- C. Keep your foot off the brakes and let the vehicle slow and stop naturally — Keeping your foot off the brakes and letting the vehicle slow naturally is not what the handbook describes, since it says to brake as hard as you can and manage wheel lock-up.
Remember it
If a wheel locks, ease off slightly and reapply pressure; do not pump the brake.