Black Ice

[Kernopelli]

I was on my way home from work last night and it was spitting rain and about 28 degrees all evening. I was aware the bridges on the interstate were ice covered and was taking great care when crossing them. I knew the vehicle behind me was a fellow DOC officer and I watched him in the rear view lose control crossing a bridge and spin off into the median. I turned around and came back on the other side of the interstate to assist. What transpired next was akin to watching a slow motion train wreck for the next 15 minutes. vehicle after vehicle came across that bridge and lost control, some spinning into the median and some gliding across the bridge against the guard rail in showers of sparks. We were busy watching traffic and warning the ones that that stopped or were stuck, to get out of their vehicles and get to a safe distance outside the guard rails because more vehicles would likely be piling up. Sure enough, a mini van comes across and gets completely sideways and when they hit dry pavement shot head on into the guard rail HARD. I couldn't get to them for fear of other traffic and had to stand there dodging several more cars sliding through the median. A minivan puling a Uhaul was next to hit hard and they jack-knifed and came to rest against the rail and blocking one lane, behind them was three semis, one pulling a double. The first semi crushed he minivan and put it on it's side but he was able to stay straight and clear the scene, the second semi steered right trying to avoid the van/uhaul and vaporized the uhaul before going through the guard rail and down a 45 degree embankment on his side. the third semi (pulling doubles) hit the seconds trailer and ripped through the rear of his trailer and jack-knifed into the median (straight toward me, and YES, I was already running for my life to hop the guardrail on the other side of the interstate. Fortunately, the next group of traffic stopped at the far end of the bridge and stopped/blocked traffic. The other officer and I were able to check the first van to wreck and they were OK. The van pulling the Uhaul was on its side and crushed. I kicked out the windshield and got the driver out and the other DOC officer was able to get up on the van and pry the door open and we pulled a baby, a young handicapped girl and their father out. We then slid down the embankment and was able to talk the stunned driver into climbing up and out the passenger door and climb down far enough that we could reach him and lift him to the ground, all the while, a flood of diesel was pouring across our feet and into the engine compartment. Everybody walked away.....it was nothing short of a true, God blessed miracle.
All I can say, is life is so fragile and it can be snuffed out in a matter of seconds in a horrible, destructive way. It literally looked like a war zone and obliterated everything. 12 hours later, they are still clearing the scene of wreckage. Since I witnessed all this, I was asked several times what happened and I kept trying to explain that there was a uhaul somewhere there. I started looking for it and couldn't even find the axle, just some shreds of aluminum panel is all I could find to prove it was once there.
Everybody who crashed seemed stunned that it was so slick when it just looked a little wet....a lesson we can all learn from.

 

[PILOON]

WOW!

Scary.

Only thing worst than black ice is black ice with 1 inch of fresh powder snow to hide it!

Good work, fast thinking.

 

[JDeerekid]

WOW!!!! is right. Glad everyone was ok and they all walked away. I have been at the scene of a 30 car pile up and when you really look at it, it looks like 10 cars and a bunch of metal lying around. It is definately not fun digging through heaps of metal helping people out not knowing what you will find.
I am always leary of black ice even when it is above freezing espescially going over overpasses.

 

[zzvyb6]

Believe it or not, you can quickly learn to manage driving on Black Ice covered roads. I used to help teach State Police driving courses at GM's Proving Ground that involved more than high speed and high cornering proficiency. "Black Ice" does have a low coefficient of friction but its not zero. Therefore driving within that envelope must be observed. Once you learn to sense the friction level and temperature. You can stay in control. Not a lot of maneuvering allowed but no need to spin around out of control. Biggest mistake drivers make is not knowing the signs of this and the circumstances. Having an on-board outside temperature reading, tire pressures EXACTLY equal at recommended settings, and the discipline for slow, smooth application of steering, brakes and throttle is all it takes. The best advice to take is to practice it in a parking lot, on a pond (safe, of course) or on an indoor ice skating rink. Take your kids along. Young drivers generally learn this better than older adults.

I can't help you if there are other cars and trucks losing control all around you, but you can certainly keep from being the initiator.

Just don't overreact to the imediate situation. Stay off the brakes, constant throttle, don't use cruise control, slow, small steering angles and hold the wheel VERY tight.

These same rules apply to driving in deep, rutted and packed snow. You control the vehicle, don't let it control you. There wil always be doubters of this skill, but a little practise will convince you.

 

[Ridgewalker]

Glad to hear you made it out of that mess OK. Whew!!!

You're lucky in that you were out of your car and didn't get hit. Did you hear about the kid who was in a wreck on I-70 on the Missouri river bridge near St. Charles? He got out of his car to walk off the bridge, saw a tractor trailer coming at him and jumped off the bridge so he wouldn't get creamed by the truck. They still haven't found him.

 

[Ryan03]

Working for a local higheay dept for 6 years, I have seen my share of black ice, nasty stuff. Two ways I have learned to be alerted to it, are first, watch your side mirror, when the water streams coming off the bottom of it begin to freeze and form ice cicels, the temp is dropping to near freezing and the road may begin to freeze soon, the mirrors seem to freeze before the roads due to all the constant wind hitting them. Second, pay attention to the amount of water coming of of the vehicles tires that are all around you, if the road looks wet, but you see very

little or no water coming off of the tires, BEWARE!!!!

 

[PILOON]

In my teens we were able to get my old pontiac straight 6 onto the river bay near home.
While we had loads of fun, it was probably the greatest practice session a person could ever get exposed to.

I still like a practice ice run whenever a vacant shopping mall parking lot is all iced up.
In fact ice drive/skidding has become one of my 'must do' winter practice things ASAP every year just to be ready for when I need it.

Must say however that ABS sure had me fooled the first time as I greatly would under estimate stopping distances on icy surfaces.
Seems as if each wheel say 'not me, its up to you guys' and suddenly none are braking at all.
I still prefer to pump rather than trust ABS.

Now I drive a 4x4 that has LOW so going down icy hills I do complete stop, drop in 4wd and let the engine do the braking/slowing. That gives a nice controlled deceleration that can not be duplicated with brakes.

 

[QRTRHRS]

I survived a good many nights driving on New York state and others five nights a week while still averaging good run times with a big truck, often as not with an empty behind me. Luck does play a big part because if someone goes sideways or whatever, even ten mph may be too fast.

However, when black ice is suspect, you need to approach every bridge with that mind. It also helps if you know the road. Ie; there is a time to hole up. You want your front wheels to be aimed as straight as possible. If the bridge is curved, you had better be slowed as needed. Mostly, you need to "float" your vehicle. To me, this is easier with a stick transmission but not impossible with an automatic. When you cross that bridge, the pressure on that foot pedal has to be such that you are not accelerating or backing off.

Kernopelli, Glad to hear that no one was killed. You do make a very valid point. Under any circumstances, being stopped along a busy road is dangerous. If at all possible, you need to get away even if you have to watch at a distance as someone gets hit. Once all traffic is stopped then you can do what you have to do.

 

[HarleyMan46929]

In my teens we were able to get my old pontiac straight 6 onto the river bay near home.
While we had loads of fun, it was probably the greatest practice session a person could ever get exposed to.

I still like a practice ice run whenever a vacant shopping mall parking lot is all iced up.
In fact ice drive/skidding has become one of my 'must do' winter practice things ASAP every year just to be ready for when I need it.

Must say however that ABS sure had me fooled the first time as I greatly would under estimate stopping distances on icy surfaces.
Seems as if each wheel say 'not me, its up to you guys' and suddenly none are braking at all.
I still prefer to pump rather than trust ABS.

Now I drive a 4x4 that has LOW so going down icy hills I do complete stop, drop in 4wd and let the engine do the braking/slowing. That gives a nice controlled deceleration that can not be duplicated with brakes.

Piloon, Just don't try to have fun in a parking lot in Indiana! I was showing my son and his friend how to handle a vehicle in a slide in our local park, next thing I see is the red & blue lights of the local police officer, who was sitting hidden, looking for another of my son's friends who had been doing the same thing earlier in the day. I got off with a stern warning, and the officer told me that they consider such "practice sessions" Reckless Driving, which can land you in jail, with a sizable fine!!!
I like to refer to such sessions as Wreckless Driving, with a W in front of reckless!!!

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/images/smilies/mad.gif

 

[PILOON]

Harleyman

Wreckless Driving-LOL!

But how come they missed a nice 'cash grab?' seems today many if not all new laws simply are that!

Or politically motivated and never enforced as the number crunchers suddenly discover that it is too costly to enforce!
- example is bicycle fines, while highway codes applied to cyclists they never get enforced so kids blow all stop signs, turn against red lights and drive against traffic weaving in and out.
-In Montreal they voted a couple of million $$ for snow remouval on select bike paths!
AND those guys don't pay taxes! (road related) Now there is a lobby pushing for more snow remouval on all bike trails ! but they can't keep up with snow on our streets, never mind sidewalks.
IMHO you have to be absolutely nuts to even think of riding on 2 wheels in slush at -20 deg.
But then it is 'EKOfriendly'!