Surviving Black Ice: What You Need to Know

Each year, twenty-four percent of weather-related vehicle crashes occur due to driving during winter weather on snowy, slushy, or icy pavement; fifteen percent happen during snowfall or sleet. Black ice is created from sleet. It also arises from melted snow that refreezes on roads during the night or early morning, when temperatures are the lowest. Black ice is clear but can appear as shiny patches and is commonly found on bridges, overpasses, and spots shaded by trees or other objects.

Because black ice is thin and blends with the color of the road, it can be difficult to know when it is present. The best advice is to stay home or off roads when travel advisories are issued due to wintery weather. If staying put is not an option, the U.S. Forest Service advises that if you drive over black ice, you should do as little as possible and allow the car to pass over the ice. With the slippery substance comes a variety of ways that roads can be affected, which, in turn, produces a number of precautions drivers can take. The following list includes a few more safety tips for encountering black ice in a vehicle:

• Keep the steering wheel straight; however, if the back end of your car starts to slide left or right, make a very gentle turn of the steering wheel in the same direction of the skid. This maneuver should help to steer your car in the correct direction.
• Do not slam on the brake pedal. Braking can cause the vehicle to slide even further. To reduce the vehicle’s speed, remove your foot from the gas pedal. (Note: Some gentle and smooth braking may be necessary if excessive skidding occurs.)
• Look for areas of traction. If possible, once black ice is spotted, head toward areas of pavement with textured ice or sand that offer more traction.
• Choose where to land. If possible, steer into an area that will cause minimum harm or damage to you and your vehicle (e.g., an empty field or yard).

Ideally, maintain vehicles and inspect items like tires, wipers, and oil levels seasonally. This maintenance is especially important in winter, alongside keeping the gas tank at least one-half-full (or an electric vehicle’s [EV’s] battery close to fully charged ) and keeping an emergency kit inside the vehicle. A winter emergency kit includes a first aid kit, essential medications, flares or reflectors to signal for help, a flashlight, a cell phone charger, a blanket or sleeping bag, a snow shovel, nonclumping kitty litter or sand for traction, water, food, and other essential items for survival. Such items are fundamental if, for example, skidding off the road because of black ice is unavoidable and your vehicle becomes stuck.

If you become stranded in your car, be sure to:

• Stay in your vehicle. Your car offers the best protection from the winter weather and collisions with other vehicles. (If you leave your vehicle, stay close. Use that time to set up flares and clear snow from the exhaust pipe to avoid carbon monoxide gas poisoning when the vehicle is turned on for heat.)
• Call 911 for help and notify a family member or friend of your whereabouts.
• Turn your flashers on. Flares, flashers, or hazard lights help make your car visible to other drivers and rescuers. Tie a red piece of fabric to your antenna or door handle to signal that you are in the vehicle.
• Keep warm. Layer the clothes and blankets you have over the clothes you are wearing to trap your body heat. In case you get stranded for an extended period, you can also stay warm by running your car’s heater for ten minutes every hour, conserving gas (or an EV’s battery life). Periodically, keep fresh air in your car by slightly opening your window.
• Stay fit. If you are waiting for help for an extended period, drink water to stay hydrated and do small exercises with your hands, arms, legs, and feet to keep your blood circulating, which also helps keep the body warm.

Black ice can be hazardous, so it is important to know what it is and how you should react if you encounter it, and, equally as important, to understand how to survive until help arrives.