KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — Fall in East Tennessee is one of the most beautiful places on Earth. The yellow, orange and red leaves illuminated by sunlight create wonderful sites, but what happens when the rain comes.
Leaves on the ground and rain can be a big concern because when wet leaves can become as slippery as ice. This is due to the waxy coating covering leaves. When this coating gets wet it causes friction between the road and car tires.
To put this into perspective, on a dry road an average stopping distance for a car moving at about 40mph is around 80 feet to stop. If the roads are wet, the distance needed to stops almost doubles and it takes about 160 feet for a car to stop. Then with both wet roads and wet leaves, the stopping distance can take as much as 250 feet when the car to going about 40mph.
To stay safe while driving, make sure to slow down and increase the distances between you and the vehicles in front of you. Also, make sure your tires are in good condition and the air pressure is good.
