Hydroplaning is a traction loss phenomenon often experienced by drivers at reckless speeds and pavement quality. The usual culprit is water, but many other factors can affect the efficiency of your tire tread grip. The issue is not always resolved by getting better tread and wide grip tires, as is dealt with through taking a close look at the state of the asphalt.

Losing traction can cause your vehicle to slip and spin out of control, leading to physical harm and potential loss of life. And even if you survive the ordeal, there is the question of insurance.

At Surface Solutions, we believe in focusing on the design phase of asphalt overlays, so the pavement we install is fault-free and engineered to provide traction.

1. Drenched Roads: 

The textbook version will direct you to the phenomenon where bad tires, speed, and ultra-smooth surfaces are to blame for a vehicle slipping off the road. When asphalt surfaces are covered in dew, water, or ice melt, a lousy tire tread at a high velocity tends to transition to a state of non-traction, and loss of vehicular control ensues. The culprit is improper pavement grading which prevents surface water run-off.

The Fix?

Mill and regrade the surface to ensure proper drainage of pavement. Flat or level pavement is never a good standard in paving for safety.

• Bleeding or Flushed Asphalt:

A potentially lethal fault in the asphalt design mix causes excess asphalt to rise to the pavement’s surface and form a slick surface. Asphalt is supposed to be adsorbed by the aggregate and held in place with vehicular loads, but too much asphalt combined with too fine an aggregate blend lets the asphalt irreversibly seep to the surface. A bleed will further deteriorate to tracking & raveling, but flushing only leaves a permanent slippery surface and is typical in hotter regions. Regardless, both are hazardous and made even more so by the presence of a water film on the asphalt surface.

The Fix?

Conventional methods involve blotting the excess asphalt with sand, grading the surface, or resorting to semi-depth patching as bleeding is an irreversible design mix fault.

3. Untextured Roads: 

The rule of thumb says you buff something hard enough, it will get smooth. The same is experienced with pavement with low skid resistance. Even if the road is bare of any moisture or a slick asphalt layer, a worn-out smooth textured road will pose a skid hazard. Even if you have the best grip tires money can offer, a smooth pavement is not to be driven on at high speeds lest there be a skid.

The Fix?

The appropriate solution is to retexture the pavement by removal of the asphalt wearing course to the extent that it becomes a rough macro textured surface affording more tire grip and maneuvering stability.

If you have such concerns with pavement in areas of Pocomoke City, MD, you can always get in touch with Surface Solutions to deal with low skid-resistant pavement to ensure road safety.

Drop in for free quotations on our services, and don’t hesitate to contact us if you are based in Virginia and Delaware, as our accredited services cover a vast area across states!

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