Reminder to Drive Safely in Winter Weather

Over the weekend, we encountered the first snowfall of the season here in Ellwood with many more winter-wonderland days upcoming.

Whether or not you’re a fan of the snow, it’s important to take extra precautions especially when driving in freezing weather, even if the roads appear fine.

It does not have to be actively snowing or raining for road hazards to appear. As long as the temperature is low enough, ice and slush can form, causing extremely dangerous driving conditions.

Wurtemburg-Perry Fire Department posted this update to their Twitter on Sunday warning travelers of the potential road hazards, “Please use extreme caution during your commute tonight. There have been multiple reports of accidents. Watch the bridges and overpasses!”

They specifically mention bridges and overpasses for a reason; bridges and over passes freeze quicker and remain frozen for longer periods than their grounded counterparts due to cold air surrounding the surface of the bridge from above and below. This means that bridges lose heat from both sides. Bridges have no way to trap heat, so they will ice rapidly as soon as the temperature decreases to the freezing point. Roads, on the other hand, only lose heat from their surface, according to Wonderopolis.

Another cause of many accidents at this time of year is black ice. Black ice is typically caused by melting snow that refreezes, leaving an often unnoticeable transparent layer of thin ice on outdoor surfaces including walkways and roads. Rock salt can help alleviate this problem by breaking up the patches of ice, however, if temperatures reach below a certain degree the salt will no longer work.

It’s not only good practice to clean the snow off of your vehicles before driving them due to the possibility of it blinding either you or another driver, but failure to do so may result in legal penalties.  Fines start at $25-$75 for failing to clean snow and ice from your car but can go upwards of a thousand dollars if your negligence causes a wreck.

Remember to drive safely this winter season!