You can’t see it coming and it just might be the cause of an accident. Temperatures around the UK have really dropped over the last couple of days. Windscreens are frozen over, tyres are cold, brakes are grabby and all the mechanicals of the car are cold. Worst of all, there are patches of the road that are extremely treacherous due to black ice.
What people commonly know as black ice is simply that – a patch of frozen water over the road surface that due to colouration is almost impossible to see. This presents the worst kind of hazard at night when eyes are often unfocused due to bright lights, reflection, glare and other possible hazards.
Our best advice is, as always, to take in as much as you can when you leave the house and get in your car. The temperature reading is a good place to start. Lower than a few degrees? There might then be patches of ice out on the road. Take this into account when carrying out your journey.
A lower speed with less aggressive acceleration may mean the difference between slight loss of traction (traction control may be triggered) and a full on loss of all grip resulting in a skid or a spin. Remember, you’re far less likely to lose control of your car if you keep all driving inputs progressive and not sharp.
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