Swift Driving Academy CDLP Training Manual Practice Test

On a slippery road, traction between the tires and the pavement is reduced, so stopping distance becomes longer. Stopping distance is made up of reaction distance (your speed multiplied by your reaction time) and braking distance. The reaction part doesn’t change with road conditions much, but the braking part does: with less grip, the tires can’t transfer as much of the car’s kinetic energy to the road, so it takes longer to slow down. If the tires start to skid or slide, braking becomes even less effective, further increasing the distance to stop. Even with ABS, the overall braking distance is longer on slick surfaces because grip is diminished. To compensate, slow down, increase following distance, and brake smoothly to maximize whatever grip you have.