"Black Ice": a difficult phenomenon to recognize!

After the end of the bad weather, the snow begins to melt with the result that there is water on the road, and due to the low temperatures that exist -especially in places where the sun does not "see" them and where there is not much traffic- the water freezes and ice is created, which - due to the dark road - has been named "black". Especially in the evening the danger is more intense.

So let's give some tips on how to behave driving in such situations:

• First, we must never drive at high speeds, because we will very easily lose control when the vehicle hits the ice and there is no way we can do anything until the collision occurs.
• We must not drive to places where the sun does not "see" them.
• We must not make abrupt manipulations.
• We need to accelerate and decelerate smoothly.
• To have our attention focused on a long distance to see if a vehicle in front of us has lost control.
• Keep longer distances than usual from oncoming vehicles.
• Check the external temperature instrument of the vehicle frequently. If the temperature is low, ice will definitely have formed somewhere below.
• Keep the window slightly open so that you can hear the wheels scrolling, as the sound of ice breaking during scrolling is characteristic.
• Never attempt to overtake if a vehicle loses control in front of us.
• To turn on the alarms if we notice something strange in front of us, in order to inform those who follow us to reduce speed.

And above all, I will insist once again to minimize our travel to the absolutely necessary!

By Manolis Gialitakis