Bare ice, pure panic?: This is how to react correctly when your car encounters black ice

If the car begins to skid or skid, it may be intuitive for many people to immediately counter-steer. However, TCS strongly advises against this, as spokesman Massimo Gonnella says: “Rush movements or maneuvers are highly counterproductive in such situations.” Problem: When black ice forms, tires lose grip, making steering difficult. If the tires grip the ground more at certain points, uncontrolled steering maneuvers may occur. According to TCS, when steering, it is important to turn the steering wheel in the direction you want to go.

“Braking is the priority in every situation,” says Gonnella. If the vehicle is equipped with an anti-lock braking system (ABS), this helps you brake in a controlled manner on icy roads. It minimizes the risk of tires locking and losing grip on the icy surface. If the car starts to skid, the most important thing to do is to apply the brakes. If the vehicle does not have ABS (which is not the case today) or is faulty, drivers may resort to stutter braking, which means applying the brakes repeatedly in short intervals. “This mimics an ABS.” Stutter braking is also useful if you are driving at high speed and braking with the engine when going downhill, for example, when returning from the mountains. “ABS doesn’t work very well when it comes to engine braking.”

“Half the challenge of driving safely on black ice is driving with anticipation and adapting your driving style to the weather conditions,” says Gonnella. Due to often poor visibility, slippery surfaces and significantly longer braking distances, it is important to always reduce your speed in winter and keep too much distance from other road users rather than too little. This is true not only at freezing point, but also at four degrees.