Toward the unified design of tire and pavement for the reduction of skidding accidents.

Pavement characteristics are dominant in the prevention of wet skidding accidents. The tire modifies the pavement properties together with the climatic conditions. Laboratory methods and site investigations have led to an understanding of the relative importance of pavement macro- and microtexture and to the isolation of the factors influencing wet roadhold of vehicles. Improvements in pavement characteristics are urgently required if wet skidding accidents are to be reduced; these changes will also influence future tire design.