Black Ice

[BlueOvalFitter]

I was watching a show on NATGEO called HIGHWAY THRU HELL. They were filming in British Columbia during a winter storm. Their focus was mainly on a highway named The Coquihalla Highway. The roads were layered with black ice and snow. There were some very serious accidents because of the Black Ice. There was even a fatal crash.
Black Ice, what exactly is it and is it as deadly as they say? Does spreading salt on it help at all?

 

[ZeeOSix]

"Black ice" is basically just frozen water on the road surface which becomes a layer of ice. I've seen a 1/4~3/8 inch of ice on the roads from freezing rain.

 

[OilUzer]

That's when studded snow tires on all 4 wheels can help.

Watch out if the road is shiny!

Also sometimes black ice gets covered with a little snow or good snow (The type of snow you have good traction). Watch out even more. lol

 

[oldhp]

Dew or moisture gets on the road, and it freezes. Road will look "kinda" flat black, not shiny slick ice black. Make sense??? Anyway, before you know it, you hit it and NO control. That's what it looks around here in Southern Illinois.

 

[Skippy722]

Black ice is a thin transparent layer of ice on the road. It’s dangerous because you’ll go from a dry/wet section of road to super slick ice and not realize it till you’re sliding. Depending on how much ice is built up, you might be able to hear a change in tire noise when you drive over it.

 

[Dave9]

Black ice just means that it adheres so well to the road that it doesn't look a lighter color, harder to see ahead of time, especially to identify if the road preceeding it was wet rather than icy.

It's a very real problem, but especially in situations where the roadways are warm enough to not have ice on them but the bridges are colder, so people don't slow to a crawl when they get to the bridge, then vehicles start to pile up.

Salt and other ice melters work fine on black ice, but all have an effective temperature range, below which you can't rely on them... same as any other ice.

 

[OilUzer]

That's right. I think below certain temp, the brine causes more issues than helping.

 

[4WD]

gets black from too many miles on it

 

[bullwinkle]

It usually happens on untreated roads, bridges & elevated roads especially, at temps just below freezing (or even when the road is below freezing & the air is a little warmer). Fog of some kind is almost always present, condensing on the road, causing almost invisible glare ice at night. The way fools drive here, it causes instant wrecks.

 

[Vercingetorix]

AC/DC‘s 15th studio album.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Black ice - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

 

[ecotourist]

On the prairies, I've seen it form with temperatures just below freezing and light drifting. Presumably the road warms a little in the sunlight and a tiny amount of snow sticks to it, melts and stays just above or just below freezing.

On long drives I watch what light trucks are doing. When you see one freshly in the ditch or weaving a little, watch out. Sometimes you can feel your vehicle "getting light" too. I don't entirely understand what creates that sensation (might be a tiny bit of slippage of the driven wheels) but I know what it feels like. And I've seen the roadway look perfectly normal ahead and (in the rear view mirror) glistening behind. All warnings that if you don't slow down something really bad is going to happen.

 

[doublebase]

Black ice is the worst because you just don’t see it coming...and then your car is spinning out of control. It’s a thin layer of ice and it appears black because of the pavement underneath it. Salt will usually melt it away but thin ice like that is there because the salt trucks didn’t come out (because there wasn’t a real reason too). And just a little bit of moisture froze to that road undetected. It’s real scary when you’re on it.

 

[doitmyself]

Counter to ecotourist's excellent advice, the danger of black ice is that even the most experienced cautious driver can occasionally get caught by it's "invisibleness" and lose ALL control in a split second. Somewhat similar to a chainsaw kickback, IMO. If you attempt to anticipate it and drive slower than other morons, you might still put yourself in harms way.

I know of three acquaintances with bad black ice outcomes. One rolled his truck. My best high school friend died at about age 40 from a black ice accident. He was an EMT and was not wearing his seat belt - crossed the median and hit a semi truck.

 

[spasm3]

Black ice is a thin transparent layer of ice on the road. It’s dangerous because you’ll go from a dry/wet section of road to super slick ice and not realize it till you’re sliding. Depending on how much ice is built up, you might be able to hear a change in tire noise when you drive over it.

This, listen and you will hear the tires get strangely quiet. I never have the radio on while driving in icy conditions.

You have to coast over it, any steering wheel input, or touching the brakes, and you are done, out of control.

 

[bullwinkle]

This, listen and you will hear the tires get strangely guiet. I never have the radio on while driving in icy conditions.

You have to coast over it, any steering wheel input, or touching the brakes, and you are done, out of control.

I would add, ANY hill, ANY curve, even a slight crown in the pavement is enough. Only studded or silica compound winter tires will give any traction, at all. I've had instances where my work vehicles had enough weight in the back that the rear slowly spun & went out front! The danger of black ice (at least here) is that it tends to form at night, so there is little or no warning, unlike a daytime ice storm when there is at least a little warning.

 

[Hall]

I think the "black" part comes from roads that are typically blacktop, hence the black color, and the ice is crystal clear and thin enough that you can see through it to the black road surface. The crystal clear part is a) slippery and b) literally invisible (i.e. clear). Otherwise, ice, whether it's on a road surface or elsewhere, will not be as transparent. It can be slightly white or frosted on the surface or throughout.

 

[JT20]

Black ice is "invisible."

 

[ABN_CBT_ENGR]

I have never hit a patch where I lost total control but have hit enough "spots" where it can be totally felt and realized. ( doesn't take me much to mentally carry that potential incident to the fullest extreme).

I have a great healthy respect for it and drive proactively when conditions indicate it could be there. It can sneak up and like on bridges and stuff- the vapors can sheet even slightly above freezing and catch you by surprise.

BI is not something to be taken lightly. It can easily cause destruction and/or death in a split second with no warning.

 

[Ws6]

I was watching a show on NATGEO called HIGHWAY THRU HELL. They were filming in British Columbia during a winter storm. Their focus was mainly on a highway named The Coquihalla Highway. The roads were layered with black ice and snow. There were some very serious accidents because of the Black Ice. There was even a fatal crash.
Black Ice, what exactly is it and is it as deadly as they say? Does spreading salt on it help at all?

Yes, it's clear (makes the asphalt look black). We got some and my car slid off the road. So I got out, and I slid off the road. Physically fit dude in athletic shoes, I literally just began sliding and could not stop, so I fell to slow my slide, and I still continued until I shot into the grass. It's legit.