close
close

Apre-salomemanzo

Breaking: Beyond Headlines!

    • What is black ice? How to protect yourself from the invisible dangers of winter.
    aecifo

    What is black ice? How to protect yourself from the invisible dangers of winter.

    Umito Posted on

    play

    With the arrival of winter comes a slippery, invisible and deadly seasonal danger: black ice.

    Black ice, which is actually transparent, is the term for the thin layer of ice that can form on an otherwise clear road, transforming it from a stable surface into an ice rink.

    “That’s why it’s so dangerous,” said Officer Carlos Perez of the California Highway Patrol. “It’s undetectable to the human eye. Many people don’t realize they’re driving on black ice until they spin.”

    “It’s very smooth and shiny and you can’t really see it,” he said.

    As any driver who has encountered the zone can tell you, it is extremely dangerous.

    “It happened so quickly.”

    Jack Whalen was driving on Interstate 81 in upstate New York when he hit a patch of black ice many years ago. “It was very cold and it had snowed a little but the road seemed pretty clear,” he said.

    “I realized we were in a corner so I barely touched the brake pedal to slow down a little and Wham! We immediately spun, doing U-turns and more onto the highway – eventually coming to a stop straddling both lanes.

    As soon as he regained his senses, he headed to the shoulder where he spent more than a few minutes catching his breath before continuing.

    “By the grace of God, it was late at night and with the bad weather, the traffic was smooth and there was no one behind us,” the retired sociologist said.

    The feeling of suddenly going from tires that have traction to tires that don’t is what’s so terrifying, said Karen Hunt Ellis, who vividly remembers a decades-old incident in which she, then a new driver, hit an invisible expanse of ice while driving. of the Sierra Nevada.

    “My whole family was in the car and I could have killed every single one of them,” she said.

    “We were approaching the crest of a hill and everything was fine. As we crested it and were about to start going down, the wheels came off the road. It happened so fast. One moment everything was fine well and the next moment we were sliding sideways at the strangest angle,” she said.

    She overcorrected because the wheels weren’t responding the way she hoped.

    “So I turned away from the skid again, but by then we were off and flying. I remember turning the wheel a few times as I tried to right myself, but eventually I just drifted onto the central reservation.”

    The experience left her shaken, but grateful that they were unharmed – and that she had learned a lesson she never forgot.

    What is black ice?

    Black ice isn’t actually black, it’s transparent. That’s what makes him so dangerous. This is the thin layer of ice that can form on seemingly bare pavement when temperatures hover around freezing.

    Black ice is different from a layer of white or gray ice that can form when roads have been plowed or driven, compacting the snow or hail so that it freezes into a slippery layer. Often a bit lumpy, this kind of ice can be seen by drivers, giving them a visual signal that they need to slow down.

    As the California Highway Patrol warned after one of the first big winter freezes of 2024: “Here’s a quick reminder of your Truckee CHP since we had several spin-outs this morning… SLOW DOWN!! Remember: Drive like you’re tiptoeing past a sleeping bear that your ex just sent a text ‘we need to talk.’ Slow down and drive carefully!”

    When does black ice form?

    According to experts, many conditions can cause black ice to form on a roadway.

    One of the most dangerous times is when roads are plowed following a snowfall.

    “The road looks clear. But then the temperature drops, most often at night or early in the morning, the freezing point drops and the residual moisture on the roadway freezes,” Perez said.

    Another danger point is when there is a snowstorm followed by clear skies.

    “There’s a lot of snow, then two or three days of sunshine and the snow melts. But there’s a lot of moisture on the road and when the temperature drops below zero it turns to ice,” said Ahmed Abohassan, road safety data analyst. in Edmonton, Alberta in Canada including the thesis focused on the dangers of winter driving and road friction.

    Bridges are particularly dangerous because air currents above and below make them cooler than roads on solid ground, creating more favorable conditions for black ice to form. Underpasses are also dangerous because the shade can cause them to freeze while other sidewalks are clear.

    This is why many highways post “Bridge freezes before road” or “Bridge freezes before road” signs just before drivers arrive at a bridge or overpass, so they have time to slow down.

    How can black ice form when there is no snow or rain?

    It’s counterintuitive, but black ice can form on roads even if it hasn’t rained or snowed.

    This happens when the air temperature is very close to the dew point, the temperature at which the air can no longer hold moisture, Abohassan explained.

    “When the air temperature drops below the dew pointany excess moisture condenses into a liquid on the roadway and ice can form,” he said.

    Frost and fog can also cause ice to form.

    What should you do if you hit black ice?

    If you hit black ice, try not to panic, said Perez of the California Highway Patrol. He works in the Truckee, Calif., area, where cars climb the Sierra Nevada toward Lake Tahoe and the area’s many ski resorts. His social media posts about the dangers – and the need to exercise caution – have gained him many followers.

    The best thing to do is to try to avoid slipping:

    • To slow down: The best way to protect yourself is to slow down when conditions are dangerous.
    • Turn off cruise control: If you’re in a situation where black ice might be present, the first thing to do is turn off cruise control, Perez said. “Never, ever drive on cruise control when driving through icy or snowy conditions,” he said.
    • Pay attention to your car’s warnings: Most new cars these days come with a temperature warning that alerts you to freezing conditions. They tell you that you are driving in a dangerous environment and that you should be more careful, Perez said. The icon typically illuminates when temperatures hover around 31 or 32 degrees and often resembles a snowflake icon, although this varies depending on the make and model of the vehicle. “That tells you conditions are dangerous,” Perez said. “Be careful.”
    • Be especially vigilant at night: Although a layer of ice can form on a roadway at any time of the day or night, under the right temperature and humidity conditions, nighttime is the most dangerous for drivers because the ice is even more invisible than in daylight.

    If you hit a patch of black ice and start to skid:

    • Stop speeding: “The first thing is to take your foot off the accelerator – pressing on the accelerator can make you spin,” Perez said.
    • Tap the brakes lightly: Once you start to slow down, start lightly applying the brakes, he said. Do not slam them, as this could cause the vehicle to slide even more.
    • “Turn to the skid”: Common driving tips often say “skid turn”, which simply means turning the steering wheel in the direction the front of the vehicle is pointing, so that the wheels are aligned with the movement of the vehicle. But the advice varies a bit depending on the type of car you own.
      • For rear-wheel drive, all-wheel drive and 4×4 vehicles: After taking your foot off the accelerator, move toward the skid to help correct, Perez said. This means turning your steering wheel – gently! – in the direction of the front of the car, to help you regain grip on the road.
      • For front-wheel drive vehicles: After taking your foot off the accelerator, steer in the direction you want the vehicle to go to help correct the skid.
    • Don’t panic: Keep both hands on the steering wheel and your eyes on the road. “Some people turn a blind eye because they panicked,” Perez said.

    Slow down to stay safe when black ice might be lurking

    Give yourself enough distance from other vehicles when traveling in cold weather. On bare pavement when traveling at 50 miles per hour, a car needs 118 feet to come to a complete stop. On packed snow, it’s 450 feet. But on the ice, it’s a whopping 655 feet.

    “It’s a very long road,” Abohassan said. “People underestimate him.”

    The best course of action when driving in icy conditions is to slow down and be careful. People tend to speed up once they get out of snow, freezing rain, or fog because they can see clearly again. But perhaps they don’t see the danger.

    “People look at the posted speed limit and think, ‘If I drive the posted speed, I’m safe.’ This is not true,” said Abohassan. “Road safety officers will tell you to drive according to the conditions. The posted speed limit is the maximum, not the minimum.”

    Umito
    View all posts

    You Might Also Like