According to the manual, when during a rainstorm is the pavement most dangerous to drive on?
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A.
During the first 10 to 15 minutes of rainfall Correct
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B.
After rain has fallen steadily for more than an hour
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C.
Only when rainfall becomes heavy enough to form puddles
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D.
The moment rain stops and the sun returns
The answer is "During the first 10 to 15 minutes of rainfall"
Rain is at its most dangerous in the first ten to fifteen minutes, when water mixes with oil from the asphalt, along with dirt, dust, and rubber, to create a slick film on the road. Choice C tempts drivers who have been taught to watch for standing puddles, since the puddle rule of thumb points at a different hazard than the one the manual flags here.
The traps in the wrong answers
B. After rain has fallen steadily for more than an hour
The manual puts the peak danger at the opening of a rainstorm, not an hour in, when the oil has largely washed off. This answer reasons that more water on the pavement means more risk, when the oil film that makes early rain slick washes away as the storm continues.
C. Only when rainfall becomes heavy enough to form puddles
Puddles are a hydroplaning concern, not the start-of-rain oil-film danger the manual answers here. This answer carries the standing-water rule of thumb into a question about timing, where the manual answers with minutes, not depth.
D. The moment rain stops and the sun returns
Pavement dries as the rain ends; it does not become slicker. This answer mixes up the drying tail of a storm with the oil-mixing opening of one.
This question tests your knowledge of Adverse Conditions in North Carolina. Source: North Carolina Driver Handbook, "Rain," p.72..
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