Black ice typically forms when a wet surface of the road freezes due to the lack of direct sunlight or sudden drop in temperature, falling back to freezing point after rain. As black ice is a thin layer of transparent ice, it can’t be seen or may go unnoticed until you steps on it. Black ice is a highly slippery surface, making it difficult to drive. In Seattle, during winter, black ice causes more accident than any other weather related hazard.
Winter is about to come, and with it, the black ice will also emerge and scatter all the roads of Settle city whether it’s Interstate 5 or narrow streets, nothing is spared. Thus having a trough preparation is important.
You need to fight a two front battle to deal with the black ice problem. This includes preparing your car and yourself to overcome this problem. Below I am mentioning both the preparations.
1. Winterize your car.
Replace old tire with fresh winter grade tires that provide better traction. In some locations, people use snow chain when they know about the presence of black ice on their way.
2. Learn how to drive when your car hits an ice coated surface.
No matter what changes you make to your car, if you don’t know how to drive on black ice, you won’t be able to cross it safely. I am guiding you with few tips that you can apply if you suddenly encounter black ice. The biggest problem with black ice is that they were hard to notice, and you only know about them when your car skids on them. You will feel your car loosing traction. The best thing to do at this point is to release the accelerator pedal and turn the steering wheels slightly towards the direction the vehicle is skidding. I know it sounds crazy, but this is the tested method. Remember on black ice, your wheels lose traction, so braking doesn’t work and even increase the skidding.
If you get stranded due to black ice near Seattle, you can call City Towing at 206-915-1991. We offer vehicle recovery at an affordable rate with the shortest turnaround time.