In winter, why should you approach bridges, overpasses, and shaded spots more slowly than the rest of the roadway?
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A.
Their traffic lights operate on a slower cycle when it snows.
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B.
Their surfaces have a lower posted speed limit in winter.
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C.
They are marked with special warning signs during winter.
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D.
They may remain icy after the rest of the roadway is clear and dry. Correct
The answer is "They may remain icy after the rest of the roadway is clear and dry."
Bridges and overpasses cool from both sides, so they hold ice after the road on either end has dried. Shaded spots may not get enough sun to thaw as quickly, and turns behave the same way. Drivers who expect the state to post a reduced limit at every winter hazard, the way a school zone displays one during set hours, pick B and miss that Illinois leaves this call to driver judgment.
The traps in the wrong answers
A. Their traffic lights operate on a slower cycle when it snows.
The hazard named for these locations is lingering ice on bridges, overpasses, shaded spots, and turns, not a change to traffic-light timing. This answer applies the general 'everything slows down in bad weather' rule of thumb to traffic-light cycles, which do not adjust for snow.
B. Their surfaces have a lower posted speed limit in winter.
Illinois posts no reduced winter limit at bridges or shaded spots; the slowdown is a judgment call based on possible remaining ice. This answer expects the state to post a reduced limit at every winter hazard, the way a school zone displays one during set hours.
C. They are marked with special warning signs during winter.
The reason to slow at these spots is possible lingering ice, not the presence of any special winter sign. This answer recalls the 'Bridge Ices Before Road' plaques posted in other states and reads them as a required winter marker here.
This question tests your knowledge of Adverse Conditions in Illinois. Source: Illinois Rules of the Road, "Weather Conditions, Winter Driving," p.85..
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