What to do in your car during a winter storm
It’s important to follow these steps if you’re stuck in your car during a winter storm.
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With the arrival of winter comes a seasonal hazard that is slippery, invisible and deadly: 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, turning it from a stable surface into an ice rink.
“That’s why it’s so dangerous,” said Officer Carlos Perez of California’s Highway Patrol. “It’s imperceptible to the human eye. Many people don’t realize they’re driving on black ice until they’re spinning.”
“It’s very smooth and shiny and you can’t really see it,” he said.
As any driver who has hit a patch can tell you, this 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 bit, but the road looked quite clear,” he said.
“I realized we were in a corner so I barely touched the brake pedal with my foot to slow down a little and Wham! We immediately went into a crazy spin, completely turning around and continuing down the highway – eventually coming to a stop in both lanes.”
Once he regained his senses, he drove onto the shoulder where he took a good few minutes to catch his breath before continuing on.
“By the grace of God it was late at night and in bad weather there was little traffic and no one was right behind us,” the retired sociologist said.
The feeling of suddenly switching from tires that have grip to tires that don’t is so terrifying, says Karen Hunt Ellis, who vividly recalls a decades-old incident in which she, then a new driver, while driving on a stretch of road, invisible ice ended up. from the Sierra Nevada.
“My whole family was in the car and I could have killed them all,” she said.
“We were approaching the top of a hill and everything was fine. As we went over it and were about to descend, the wheels left the road. It happened so quickly. One moment everything was fine and the next we slid sideways from the strangest angle,” she said.
She overcorrected because the wheels didn’t respond as she expected.
“So I turned around from the skid again, but by then we were off and flying. I remember turning the wheel a few times trying to straighten out, but I ended up just drifting into the median. “
The experience left her shaken, but grateful that they were unharmed – and that she had learned a lesson she has never forgotten.
What is black ice?
Black ice isn’t really black, it’s transparent. That’s what makes it so dangerous. It’s the thin layer of ice that can form on seemingly bare pavement when temperatures hover around freezing.
Black ice is different from a white or gray layer of ice that can form when roads are plowed or traveled, filling the snow or sleet so that it freezes into a smooth layer. Often slightly lumpy, that type of ice that drivers can see, giving them a visual cue to slow down.
As the California Highway Patrol warned after one of the first major winter shutdowns of 2024: “Here’s a little reminder from your CHP Truckee as we’ve had several spinouts this morning… SLOW DOWN!! Remember, drive like you’re driving past a sleeping bear and your ex just texted ‘we need to talk.’ Slow down and drive safely!”
When does black ice form?
There are several conditions that can cause black ice to form on a roadway, experts say.
One of the most dangerous times is when roads are plowed after snow.
“The road looks clear. But then the temperature drops, usually at night or early morning, the freezing point drops and the remaining moisture on the roadway freezes,” Perez said.
Another dangerous point is when there is a snowstorm followed by clear skies.
“You get a lot of snow and then two or three days of sunshine and the snow melts. But there is a lot of moisture on the road and when the temperature drops below freezing it becomes ice,” said Ahmed Aboassan, a road safety data analyst. in Edmonton, Alberta in Canada of which the thesis was about winter driving hazards and road surface friction.
Bridges are especially dangerous because air currents above and below them make them cooler than roads on solid ground, creating more favorable conditions for icy conditions. Underpasses are also dangerous because shade can cause them to freeze over when other sidewalks are clear.
This is why many highways display “Bridge ice in front of the road” or “Bridge ice in front of the road” signs just before motorists come to a bridge or overpass so they have time to slow down.
How can black ice form if there is no snow or rain?
It’s counterintuitive, but black ice can form on roads even when 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, Aboassan said.
‘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 land on black ice?
If you encounter black ice, try not to panic, said Perez of the California Highway Patrol. He works in the Truckee, California area, where cars enter the Sierra Nevada on their way to Lake Tahoe and the many area ski resorts. His social media posts about the dangers – and the need for caution – have earned him a serious following.
The best thing you can do is prevent slippage:
- Slow down: The absolute best way to protect yourself is to slow down when conditions are dangerous.
- Turn off cruise control: If you are in a situation where black ice may be present, the first thing to do is turn off the cruise control, Perez said. “Never, ever, drive with cruise control in icy or snowy conditions,” he said.
- Please pay attention to your car’s warnings: Nowadays, most new cars have a temperature warning that warns you of freezing temperatures. They tell you you’re driving in a dangerous area and you need to be more careful, Perez said. The icon usually illuminates when the temperature is around 31 or 32 degrees and often looks like a snowflake icon, although this varies depending on the make and model of the vehicle. “It tells you the conditions are dangerous,” Perez said. “NB.”
- Be especially alert at night: While an icy layer can form on a roadway at the right temperature and humidity at any time of the day or night, nighttime is the most dangerous for drivers because the ice is even more invisible than during daylight.
If you do hit a patch of black ice and start to skid:
- Stop speeding up: “The first thing you have to do is take your foot off the accelerator. When you press the accelerator, you can start turning,” Perez said.
- Tap the brakes lightly: Once you start to slow down, start tapping the brakes lightly, he said. Do not hit it as this may cause the vehicle to slide even further.
- ‘Turn into the slip’: General driving advice is often to “go into the skid,” which simply means turning the steering wheel in the direction the front of the vehicle is moving so that the wheels are in line with the vehicle’s movement. But the advice varies a bit depending on the type of car you have.
- For rear-wheel drive, four-wheel drive and 4×4 vehicles: After taking your foot off the gas pedal, steer into the skid to help correct, Perez said. That means turning your steering wheel gently! – in the direction in which the front of the car is traveling, so that you regain control of the road.
- For front-wheel drive vehicles: After taking your foot off the accelerator, steer in the direction you want the car 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 close their eyes because they’re panicking,” Perez said.
Slow down to stay safe when icy conditions lurk
Maintain sufficient distance from other vehicles when traveling in cold weather. On bare pavement, a car needs 35 meters to come to a complete stop at a speed of 80 kilometers per hour. On packed snow it is 140 meters. But on ice it is no less than 200 meters.
“That’s a long way,” Aboassan said. “People underestimate it.”
The best course of action when driving when icy conditions are possible is to slow down and use caution. People tend to drive faster once they get out of snow, freezing rain or fog because they can see clearly again. But maybe they don’t see the danger.
“People look at the posted speed limit and think, ‘If I drive the posted speed, I’m safe.’ That’s not true,” Aboassan said. “Road safety people will tell you to drive because of the conditions. The posted speed limit is the maximum speed, not the minimum.”
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