Find out how black ice forms and how to recognize it for a safer drive.
Call it the invisible menace. Black ice hides in shadowy seclusion, in the worst travel conditions, waiting to do damage to motorists.
“The term, ‘black ice,’ is a misnomer,” says Dennis Madden, CEO of the Automatic Transmission Rebuilders Association. “It’s actually just a patch of smooth, clear ice. Because it’s clear, all you see is the roadway below. In fact, the only real difference between the appearance of dry roadway and black ice is a glaze you can discern when the light is just right. Like a reflec