At what point during a rainfall are roads slippery on a hot day?
- Immediately after it has stopped raining.
- For the first several minutes. ✓
- When it has been raining for a few hours.
Answer: B. For the first several minutes.
Roads are slippery during the first several minutes of rain on a hot day, so slow down as soon as the rain starts.
Why this is the answer
The California handbook warns that when rain begins, the pavement can be very slippery, especially after a long dry and hot spell. Oil and dust have built up on the road surface and have not yet been washed away, so traction is poor at the start. That is why the answer points to the first several minutes rather than later in the rain or after it stops. The handbook says to slow down at the first sign of rain, drizzle, or snow.
Why the other answers are wrong
- A. Immediately after it has stopped raining. — The handbook's warning about oil and dust applies when rain begins, not after it has stopped, so this choice does not match the risky period it describes.
- C. When it has been raining for a few hours. — Waiting until rain has fallen for hours misses the handbook's point that the pavement can be very slippery when the rain starts, before oil and dust are washed away.
Remember it
First rain after hot, dry weather lifts built-up oil and dust, so ease off right away.
Official handbook: California Driver Handbook (DL 600), Section 8: Safe Driving, p. 61