Driver's License Test Prep
Oregon Practice Adverse Conditions

According to the Oregon handbook, when is a road most likely to be the MOST slippery?

  1. A.
    Near the freezing point, around 32 degrees. Correct
  2. B.
    Hot and dry in the middle of summer.
  3. C.
    Well below freezing, around 10 degrees.
  4. D.
    Well above freezing, on a cool but ice-free day.
The Why

The answer is "Near the freezing point, around 32 degrees."

The handbook says a road is likely most slippery when the temperature is near the freezing point rather than below freezing. Right around 32 degrees a thin film of water on the ice makes it slickest; well below freezing the ice is drier and grips slightly better; above freezing, or in hot dry weather, there is no ice at all. Reaching for the coldest option on offer lands on C, but the handbook contrasts near-freezing with below-freezing and calls near-freezing the slicker of the two.

Why the others miss

The traps in the wrong answers

B. Hot and dry in the middle of summer.

Hot, dry pavement carries no ice and is not the handbook's most-slippery condition, which is a temperature near the freezing point.

C. Well below freezing, around 10 degrees.

The handbook contrasts near-freezing with below-freezing and calls near-freezing the more slippery of the two. Ice well below freezing tends to be drier and grips slightly better.

D. Well above freezing, on a cool but ice-free day.

Above freezing the road is not icing over, so it is not at its most slippery; the handbook ties peak slipperiness to a temperature near the freezing point.

The Rule

This question tests your knowledge of Adverse Conditions in Oregon. Source: Oregon Driver Manual, "Snow and Ice," p.78..

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