Certain weather situations entail streets and pavements becoming slippery and it does not have to be the dreaded black ice which occurs during winter when  rain hits a ground temperature that is colder than 0° C. Extreme weather conditions such as thunderstorms accompanied by hail can lead to slippery roads during spring, summer and autumn. Wet streets caused by rain also do not have as good a grip as a dry tarmac.

Aside from the black ice, which generally occurs at temperatures around the freezing point, icy conditions can also occur due to frost, snow and slush during  the winter.

Rime occurs when moisture freezes on tarmac that has cooled down. Bridges are particularly in jeopardy as their temperatures drop during the night; or the  northern or western sides of forests where the cold remains the longest.

Icy conditions can also be expected when it snows. It occurs when the layer of snow has hardened or has become icy. Therefore it is important that snow is  cleared before it hardens and it is why the road maintenance crews are on the road very early before the onset of commuter traffic.

Slush is the mixture of frozen snow and snow which has begun to melt, and can also lead to really slippery conditions when it starts to freeze again, even  when the temperature rises above 0° C, when it forms a well gliding wedge between the tire and the road.

The danger of slippery roads can be predicted with a certain amount of surety when caused by the combination of rain and the temperature of the  environment. These kinds of predictions should be taken seriously and both drivers and pedestrians should adopt their driving and walking to it. This includes  avoiding driving as much as possible during black ice until using the roads no longer poses any danger.

Winter tires have become mandatory and they are certainly a help in traffic. They are made of a mixture of rubber which has a good grip on the road, even  when the temperature is very low. They also have a more coarsely studded profile which digs in better into the snow and which does not stop up as easily in slush. To be on the safe side, narrower tires are mounted during winter because they have a higher ground pressure than wide tires and are often the  required for chains being mounted.

Not only the weather report but also the temperature displays in cars help prevent accidents caused by icy conditions. They switch on when the ground  temperature falls to 3° C or lower, the intention being to cause people to drive prudently, because it is so essential to maintain control of the car, particularly in icy conditions.