When the temperature drops, the winter nuisance known as black ice forms and cars crowd the ditches. Learn some tips for combatting black ice so that your commute lands you at your office and not waiting for a tow.
*Black ice is tricky because it is invisible, which means that people often do not reduce their speed until they hit their first patch. Unfortunately, hitting black ice at too fast a speed even once can be enough to lose control of your vehicle. If you know that the temperature has dropped below freezing or may be hovering around that point, automatically reduce your speed at intersections, on and off-ramps, bridges and other places black ice is likeliest to form.
*Maintain a larger than average following distance. If you do hit a patch of black ice it is going to take you longer than normal to stop, and giving yourself more space than you usually do between yourself and the car in front of you can prevent a rear-end accident.
*When you do brake, ease onto the pedal slowly but firmly. Stomping on the brake can easily make you lose control of your car.
*If you drive a lighter vehicle, consider putting something heavy in your trunk suck as a large bag of cat litter or sand to help weigh your car down and give you more traction. The bonus of using these two materials is that if you do get stuck, they can also be removed from your trunk and spread on the ground to provide extra traction on ice.
*Living in a cold-weather climate where black ice situations are possible means that you should always have a winter survival or safety kit in your car for if you do have car trouble and have to wait it out in the cold for help. Energy bars, water, and a blanket for extra warmth are all good items to have in your car throughout the winter months just in case.
Also, check out this link for a video on what to do if you hit an ice patch.
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