BRAKING AND TRACTION TESTS ON ICE, SNOW, AND ON BARE PAVEMENTS

INADEQUATE TRACTION AND REDUCED VISIBILITY ARE THE MAJOR HAZARDS OF WINTER DRIVING, CAUSING THE MILEAGE DEATH RATE IN THE NORTHERN U. S. TO BE 24 TO 53 PERCENT HIGHER IN WINTER THAN IN SUMMER. TESTS WERE MADE ON BRAKING, SKIDDING, AND TRACTION OF PASSENGER CARS AND TRUCKS OF ALL TYPES ON LAKE ICE, ROAD ICE, PACKED SNOW, AND CONCRETE PAVEMENTS. INVESTIGATIONS WERE MADE OF ALL MAJOR TYPES OF WINTER DRIVING EQUIPMENT AND SPECIAL DRIVING TECHNIQUES USED TO PREVENT ACCIDENTS. RESULTS INDICATE THAT THE SLIPPERINESS OF ICE IS HIGHLY VARIABLE, AFFECTED BY TEMPERATURE, WETNESS OR DRYNESS, WHETHER IT IS SUNNY OR CLOUDY, GRAININESS OF THE ICE, ETC. THUS VEHICLE PERFORMANCE ON ICE IS EXTERMELY VARIABLE. IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT SNOW AND ICE BE PROMPTLY REMOVED FROM THE PAVEMENT, THAT SURFACES BE TREATED WITH ABRASIVES, THAT LOWER VEHICLE SPEEDS BE USED, THAT TIRE CHAINS BE EMPLOYED, AND THAT VEHICLES BE STOPPED BY PUMPING THE BRAKES OR POWER BRAKING RATHER THAN LOCKED WHEEL STOPPING. /AUTHOR/

• Record URL:
  https://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/hrbproceedings/27/27-034.pdf
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Vol 27, pp 340-360, 14 FIG, 7 TAB. Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
• Authors:
  • Moyer, R A
• Publication Date: 1948

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Monograph Title: Proceedings of the Twenty-Seventh Annual Meeting of the Highway Research Board Held at Washington, D.C. December 2-5, 1947
• Serial:
  • Highway Research Board Proceedings
  • Volume: 27
  • Publisher: Highway Research Board

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Braking; Chains; Cold weather; Frost damage; Operations; Pumps; Skidding; Snow and ice control; Snow removal; Speed; Traction
• Subject Areas: Administration and Management; Highways; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00221315
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: Jul 2 1971 12:00AM