Slickness of light freezing rain icing - St. Louis metro area, January 20-21, 2012

(Viewable in 1080p HD) This is a demonstration of how slick the light glazing of ice from freezing rain was on untreated roads in the St. Louis metro area on Friday and Saturday, January 20-21, 2012. 15 to 20mph is the top safe speed in these conditions, as even a small fishtail can send a vehicle off the road. Avoiding hills and slowing down to safe speeds is the only way to help prevent getting into an accident during freezing rain. You don't have the skill, nor does any vehicle have the ability, to recover a high-speed slide on this type of ice: Good tires, ABS, AWD, 4WD, traction control nor ESC will bring any safety at highway speeds on freezing rain icing. A slight incline, banking or crowning of a road covered with this type of ice can result in sliding sideways off of the road, even if you are completely stopped. Icing from freezing rain can appear identical to wet roads, making it difficult for drivers to identify, particularly at night. Walking in these conditions is as hazardous as driving in them, and many fall injuries occur from pedestrians on sidewalks and parking lots. Statistically speaking, freezing rain/drizzle is a more dangerous weather condition than tornado outbreaks in terms of human impact (fatalities and injuries). All types of road icing cause more fatalities than all other forms of severe weather *combined*! The safest way to travel during these conditions is to not go out in them at all. Salt crews often can't cover routes fast enough to keep ...

View Count: 15 Date: January 21, 2012