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Frequently Asked Questions
What is a safe speed for driving on ice and snow?
I am not aware of any official recommendations for speeds on icy roads. However, based on my many years of driving and shooting footage in all types of winter weather conditions, I can offer my own suggestions. For a straight, level interstate, 35mph to 40mph is the maximum speed I feel comfortable with when snow is covering the road. However, certain spots such as sharp curves, interchanges, merging traffic zones, steep hills, accident sites and construction zones may require an even slower speed. Remember to keep a wide distance between other cars on the road in case you need to stop quickly.
For black ice, no speeds are safe. You can lose control on black ice at 10mph, particularly if there is any banking or slope to the roadway. If freezing rain is in the forecast, you're better off postponing travel until it is over with. As you can see in the statistical data, freezing rain and the resulting black ice is extremely deadly - it kills more people than tornadoes, hurricanes, lightning and floods!
Don't heat waves hold the title for weather's most deadly hazard?
It is true that excessive heat claims more lives annually in the USA than winter weather risks (including icy roads). However, the majority of heat-related deaths involve the elderly and/or individuals in poor health, and more specifically those in that category who do not have adequate shelter from the elements (namely air conditioning). In other words, heat waves tend to threaten a very specific demographic of the population - those without proper shelter whos physical condition makes them more susceptible to the effects of temperature extremes.
By contrast, icy roads are the greatest weather-related hazard to the average person. Unlike heat waves, icy roads threaten everyone who travels in a motor vehicle: healthy or sick, young and old, men and women, teenagers, children, infants - people of all ages and from all walks of life. No other weather hazard poses such a broad threat for each and every person in this country.
What about tires?
Having the right type of tires on your vehicle and keeping them in good shape are very important for general winter driving. However, while good tires can sometimes help you move on icy roads, they don't help you stop and they won't keep you from losing control at high speeds. A vehicle with good winter tires will have an edge in safety on snow-packed roads, but once conditions become icy, tire quality, style or brand doesn't matter!
Having your tires in good condition and of the proper type will always be a beneficial thing in all driving conditions. But just as with other vehicle safety features like ABS, ESC and traction control, tire brand and type won't help you stop on an icy hill or prevent you from spinning out on an icy interstate.
In essence, good tires are always a great idea - but they should not lessen your level of care in driving on an icy road or when icy conditions are threatening.
How accurate are the statistics on the site?
As the site makes notation of, the fatality data on icyroadsafety.com comes from published news media reports across the country. As such, it is inevitable that any incidents not reported in newpaper or TV will be missed. This means that the death toll on the site is the *minimum* number, and is likely higher in actuality. However, it appears that most fatal crashes do end up making it into news reports, so I believe any discrepancy should be small. Getting an accurate count would involve regularly contacting and compiling data from every state, county and municipal police/highway patrol department in the USA. The data from news reports alone so far has been sufficient in illustrating the magnitude of the problem. Every fatal accident counted is listed on the site with date and location, and as such can be easily verified with both local media and authorities should the total death toll be in question.
Isn't ice on roadways an ancillary (secondary) cause of crashes due to driver error?
Road ice from freezing precipitation is not an ancillary cause of crashes, it is the sole factor in a large percentage of accidents during light snow and freezing precipitation. With freezing precipitation, in addition to being invisible to motorists, this type of ice physically separates the vehicle tires from the road, causing loss of control without any abnormal behavior from the driver. The result of a vehicle encountering black ice is no different than if it had been blown off the road by a tornado, in that both are 100 percent a result of external weather-related forces that are of no fault of the driver.
To be sure, some drivers are to blame for crashes by not paying attention to conditions nor heeding visual warnings - but many are not, and it's not fair to blame all drivers for a weather hazard they cannot see before it is too late.
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