How does a wet road after the rain affect the braking distance?
Show the correct answer
Correct answer
B. It extends the braking distance.
Explanation
In the photo there is a wet roadway with puddles and remains of snow along parked cars; by the road there is a blue board with a symbol prohibiting the entry of lorries and an arrow, and a plate with exceptions. A roadway made wet by rain makes the braking distance longer - answer B.
Water between the tyre and the asphalt acts like a lubricant and reduces grip, so the brakes can transfer less force to the road. The road is often most slippery at the start of rain, when water mixes with dust, oil and rubber deposited on the asphalt. In puddles at higher speed, the tyre can even lose contact with the road surface. A shorter braking distance (answer A) is impossible - a wet surface never grips better than a dry one. The claim that braking distance does not depend on the condition of the roadway (answer C) contradicts physics - the condition of the roadway is one of the main factors. In the rain, you slow down, increase your following distance and brake gently.
Legal basis: Art. 19 para. 1 of the Road Traffic Act (Prawo o ruchu drogowym)