Maine driving lesson · Managing Speed, Space and Visibility
Adjusting speed for road conditions
A 3-minute lesson from the Maine course. Read the rules and examples, follow the handbook page references, and check your understanding before you move on.
A safe speed depends on conditions, not just the sign. Curves, rain, snow and ice all reduce the grip your tires have, so you need to slow down before trouble, not during it.
Know the rule
Driving safely means adjusting speed for road and traffic conditions, keeping a safe following distance and obeying the speed limit.
Slow down before entering a curve; a safe speed lets you accelerate slightly through it. Slow more if traction is poor, you're following others, or you can't see the end of the curve.
Hard braking in a curve can cause a skid: about two tons of vehicle is moving straight with only the front tires to turn it. Bad curves are usually posted with yellow diamond signs.
Falling or drifting snow, wet leaves or gravel can also make a road slippery. Some surfaces are more slippery than others when wet and are usually posted with warning signs.
When tires can't wipe water off the road and ride up on a film of water, like water skis. In heavy rain tires can lose all contact at high speed; balding tires, at much lower speeds.
It's 33°F and a light rain is falling as you approach a highway overpass. The overpass may already be icy even if the road isn't, and slushy ice is especially slippery. Slow down before you reach it and avoid sudden braking or steering.
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.
How much should you slow down on a wet road, according to the handbook's guideline?
1 to 2 mph
25 to 30 mph
5 to 10 mph
15 to 20 mph
Answer: 5 to 10 mph
On a wet road, the guideline is to slow down 5 to 10 mph.
