Black Ice

Just because ice is unforeseen doesn't mean that it's unforeseeable.

I don't believe in black ice because if you pay attention to the temperature outside during the winter time and you know where ice is going to form you will be able to figure out where black ice is going to most likely be on the roadway.

I'm Rick.

I'll be right back with that.

Freezing Point

Ice on our roadways is most slippery and most dangerous when the temperature is near zero degrees Celsius--the freezing point--36 degrees Fahrenheit.

The reason that it is more dangerous when the temperatures around freezing is because the ice tends to freeze and thaw and there's a layer of water on top of the ice.

Think of ice cubes: when you first pull them out of the freezer they're kinda sticky because they're still cold, but if you allow them to sit on the counter for a moment and thaw, a layer of water forms around the outside of the ice cube and if you touch it....off it goes across the counter.

Ice hockey rinks, the ice on the rink is most slippery immediately after the Zamboni goes out and floods the ice--cleans and flood the ice--because it leaves a layer water on top of the ice.

That layer of water acts as a lubricant.

It's the same thing as what happens to ice when the temperature is around zero, zero degrees Celsius.

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Bridges & Overpasses

The first structures that are gonna freeze when the temperature is near freezing outside on a roadways are bridges and overpasses.

These freeze first because the cold air gets to both sides of the structure.

Low-lying Areas

Other places that are going to freeze on our roadways are low-lying areas so there's a dip in the road or it goes down the bottom of a hill; these are probably going to have ice in these locations because cold air is heavier than warm air and the cold air freezes the moisture on the surface of the road and gives you ice.

Shadowed Areas

Other places are places that lie in shadow: tall structures, trees, wooded areas, cliffs, mountains, those types of things.

If the roadway is in the shadow of that structure or other fixed object, you're going to get most likely get ice.

Bodies of Water

The last place a lot of people are not aware of is when the roadway goes past bodies of water: lakes, rivers, and ponds and whatnot because what happens the wind comes across the body of water, picks up water and the moisture is deposited onto the roadway and will create ice if the temperatures is around zero.

Conclusion

So what can you do when the temperature is around zero? First of all get up in the morning & take note of what the temperature is outside.

If the temperatures around zero there is going to be ice and most likely there's going to be a ice in the areas that I talked about: low-lying areas, bridges and overpasses, in shadowed areas, and along bodies of water.

Those are the places where you will find ice.

So the other technique that you can do is go out and buy yourself an automobile thermometer that you can put in your car.

They're inexpensive you can pick them up at any one of the auto shops, the car part shops, for example, Canadian Tire, Home Hardware - all these places will have these temperature thermometers so that you can retrofit into your vehicle.

Late model vehicles already have these thermometers in & will tell you the outside temperature.

They're really good for helping you to know when there's going to be ice on our roadways.

As I said at the beginning of the video, just because the event was unforeseen doesn't mean that it's unforeseeable.

With a little bit of knowledge you can know where there is ice on our roadways.

One of my pet peeves is when people say: "Oh there's black ice!" When the temperatures around zero there's going to be a ice, whether you can see it or not it is there.

So, be informed, keep yourself safe, and know where the ice is going to be on the roadways.

Because if the temperature is around freezing, there's going to be ice on the roadways.