Winter Weather Awareness: Driving dangers

Winter is when you think of driving on snow-covered roads, but there are some other hidden dangers that could make driving even more difficult.

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Black Ice

Black ice can form when the roads are wet or snow melts and then temperatures quickly drop below freezing. Sometimes a flash freeze can occur, other times it will be areas of black ice. This is difficult to spot and typically can look like a puddle. It is very dangerous when it is dark outside. Ice can cause your tires to lose traction and your car to lose control. Go slow, don’t use cruise control and don’t crowd other cars around you.

Sun Glare

The sun is a wonderful thing, but in the winter it can make it harder out on the roads! When the sun angle is low around sunrise, the glare can be challenging, but in the winter when there is fresh snow on the ground, it can reflect the sun making it blinding on the road. Keep your sunglasses handy and leave plenty of space between you and the cars around you.

Blowing Snow

This can be caused when snow has freshly fallen, and the winds are strong or if it is actively snowy and windy. Either way the big flakes blowing around can reduce visibility out on the roads. Blowing snow also can freshly coat the roads making them slick repeatedly.

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