Roadwise States Colorado Driving lessons Snow, ice & winter driving Colorado driving lesson · Weather & Special Conditions
Snow, ice & winter driving A 3-minute lesson from the Colorado course. Read the rules and examples, follow the handbook page references, and check your understanding before you move on.
Read time 3 minutes
Course unit Weather & Special Conditions
Checkpoint questions 6
Source pages 19, 20 Snow, snowpack and ice make roads extremely dangerous, most of all as they begin to melt. Tires grip less and stopping takes longer. Your brakes and skid technique depend on whether your car has anti-lock brakes (ABS).
Know the rule
Overpasses, bridges, shaded areas and snow-packed parts of the road can be icy even when other pavement isn't.
Handbook p. 20 ↗ Know the rule
If you lose traction or start to skid, take your foot off both the brake and the accelerator, then turn the front wheels where you want the car to go.
Handbook p. 20 ↗ Know the rule
4-wheel drive gives more traction, but it can't stop any sooner than a conventional car.
Handbook p. 20 ↗ Know the rule
Chains, snow tires or other traction devices are preferred in winter and may be required on highways, but even they slip on slick pavement.
Handbook p. 20 ↗ Know the rule
Keep brakes properly adjusted so each wheel brakes with the same power.
Handbook p. 20 ↗ Know the rule
You can use threshold braking in a car with ABS, but you can't use ABS braking techniques in a car without ABS.
Handbook p. 20 ↗ Know the rule
Clear all ice, snow and frost from the windows, even for short trips. Make sure defrosters and wipers work; open a window to clear inside fog.
Handbook p. 20 ↗ Know the rule
Snow plows and sanding trucks use flashing yellow and blue lights; use extreme caution approaching or passing them.
Handbook p. 20 ↗ Know the rule
It's illegal to pass a city, county or state snow plow working with yellow lights flashing in tandem with one or more other plows.
Handbook p. 20 ↗ Know the rule
Leave extra space behind the vehicle ahead on snow and ice, slow down, and give pedestrians and bicyclists extra room.
Handbook p. 20 ↗ Put it into practice
Your car has no ABS and starts sliding as you brake for a light on packed snow. Press the brake to just short of locking the wheels (threshold braking) and steer where you want to go.
A useful reminder Four-wheel drive helps you go, not stop: 4WD cars stop no sooner than regular cars on ice.
Check your understanding Read the question, decide on an answer, then open it to check the explanation. These are Roadwise study questions based on the source handbook.
Where can ice form even when the rest of the pavement is clear? Open, sunlit stretches of road Overpasses, bridges and shaded areas Newly paved asphalt Uphill grades in full sun Answer: Overpasses, bridges and shaded areas
Overpasses, bridges, shaded areas, and snowpacked sections can be icy even when other pavement is not.
Handbook p. 20 ↗ If your vehicle begins to skid and you don't have anti-lock brakes, what braking technique should you use? Threshold braking, just short of lockup Slam the brakes fully Release the brakes completely and coast Shift into neutral and coast Answer: Threshold braking, just short of lockup
Without ABS, use threshold braking: apply pressure to a point just short of locking up the brakes.
Handbook p. 20 ↗ Can you use anti-lock braking techniques on a vehicle that does NOT have an anti-lock brake system? Yes, the techniques are interchangeable No, and threshold braking won't work with ABS either No, but threshold braking works on either type Yes, but only on dry pavement Answer: No, but threshold braking works on either type
You cannot use ABS techniques on a non-ABS vehicle, though threshold braking can still be used even on a vehicle equipped with ABS.
Handbook p. 20 ↗ What should properly maintained brakes ensure across all four wheels? Uniform braking power on each wheel Maximum braking power on the front wheels only No braking power on the rear wheels Braking power that favors the rear wheels Answer: Uniform braking power on each wheel
Well-adjusted brakes should provide uniform braking power on each wheel, which is especially important in winter conditions.
Handbook p. 20 ↗ If you lose traction on ice, you should take your foot off both the brake and the accelerator. True False Answer: True
If you lose traction on snow or ice, take your foot off both pedals and steer in the direction you want to go.
Handbook p. 20 ↗ 4-wheel drive vehicles can stop sooner than conventional cars on snow and ice. True False Answer: False
4-wheel drive increases traction but does not let a vehicle stop any sooner than a conventional car.
Handbook p. 20 ↗ Previous lesson Bad weather & hydroplaning Next lesson Mountain & rural driving More in Weather & Special Conditions About the source Roadwise’s Colorado course uses the driver handbook edition supplied with this study pack. This lesson cites source pages 19, 20. The linked PDF is a third-party mirror of the handbook, rather than a government-hosted page.
Open the handbook source PDF · View the source edition
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