When driving under icy or snowy conditions, which driving technique will help drivers avoid crashes?
- Add extra weight to their vehicles to improve traction.
- Get off the highways as quickly as possible.
- Engage the four-wheel drive on their vehicles.
- Reduce their speed and increase their following distance. ✓
Answer: D. Reduce their speed and increase their following distance.
Reduce your speed and increase your following distance when driving in icy or snowy conditions.
Why this is the answer
The handbook says you are responsible for adjusting your speed to the weather and should drive slower during a storm. It also says to increase following distance in unfavorable weather, and that more space gives you more time to react. Lower speed and extra room together match the handbook's guidance for bad weather.
Why the other answers are wrong
- A. Add extra weight to their vehicles to improve traction. — The passages do not mention adding extra weight to a vehicle as a way to improve traction in ice or snow.
- B. Get off the highways as quickly as possible. — The passages do not advise leaving highways quickly as a snow or ice technique; they focus on speed and space.
- C. Engage the four-wheel drive on their vehicles. — The passages do not mention using four-wheel drive as a way to avoid crashes in icy or snowy conditions.
Remember it
Use the four-second count as your fair-weather baseline, then add more room when weather turns bad.