Complete Your Travels and Get Safe Before the Storm Hits

The safest step for dealing with an ice storm is to stay inside.

Ice can cause cause trees to fall onto highways and bring down power lines. Photo: ODOT

(SALEM, Ore.) - Anyone planning holiday travels should get on and off the road before the coming ice storm hits the roads.

Forecasts say the ice storm will start Thursday night and reach large parts of Oregon. Travelers should complete their journeys before the storm arrives to have a safe and happy holiday.

Often ice hits briefly and in one location. This storm may have a broad impact across many sections of the state. That means if portions of Interstate 84 are closed in the Columbia River Gorge, many of the usual alternate routes may be icy as well.

Ice is the most dangerous of all road conditions and we have few effective tools to deal with freezing rain or ice. Even fully chained-up trucks slide off icy roads. The safest step for dealing with an ice storm is to stay inside.

Here are some things you need to know about driving in icy conditions:

• Know before you go. The Tripcheck.com cameras often have helpful information aside from video images. This can include elevation and temperature to help you know more about conditions on your route.
• Ice can bring down trees and power lines. When traffic signals go dark, treat intersections like a four-way stop.
• Deicer and salt lose effectiveness as temperatures drop. The deicer we use – magnesium chloride with rust inhibitor – works slower in the upper teens. Below 18 degrees salt is less effective.
• Increase your following distance to 5-6 seconds. This increased margin of safety will provide the longer distance needed if you have to stop.
• Know your brakes. Whether you have antilock brakes or not, keep the heel of your foot on the floor and use the ball of your foot to apply firm, steady pressure on the brake pedal.
• Don’t stop if you can avoid it. If you can slow down enough to keep rolling until a traffic light changes, do it. There’s a big difference in the amount of inertia it takes to start moving from a full stop versus how much it takes to get moving while still rolling.
• Accelerate and decelerate slowly. Apply the gas slowly to regain traction and avoid skids. Don’t try to get moving in a hurry and take time to slow down for a stoplight. Remember: It takes longer to slow down on icy roads.
• Make way for our trucks. If you see one of our salt, deicer or sand trucks, give them plenty of room and don’t pass them on the right. The quicker they can get to the job, the quicker we can get the roads clear and operating safely again.

AAA Oregon/Idaho urges drivers to be prepared for winter driving conditions.

The National Weather Service in Portland says the forecast looks increasingly wintry for even lower elevations of northwest Oregon as cold air moves in ahead of the Christmas weekend, just in time for one of the busiest holiday travel days of the year.

“Make sure your vehicle is ready for cold weather, and that you’re prepared to drive on slick, icy roads,” says AAA Oregon/Idaho Public Affairs Director Marie Dodds. Find tips and helpful advice at AAA.com/winterprep.

Whenever Mother Nature brings snow and freezing temperatures, the number of calls to AAA Oregon/Idaho for roadside assistance can spike. The most common problems in cold weather are dead batteries, frozen locks and vehicle extrications.

“Drivers aren’t always prepared to deal with colder weather and winter driving conditions,” adds Dodds.

Of course, the best advice is to stay home during a winter weather event. If you need to head out, check the latest forecasts, and visit TripCheck.com or call 511 for the latest road conditions and incident information, especially if you are driving over mountain passes.

Here are the top four tips for cold weather prep:

1. Check your vehicle’s battery. Dead batteries are the number one reason why people call AAA during a cold snap.
2. Have proper traction. Equip your car with the right snow tires, or carry chains or tire socks and know how to put them on.
3. Know how to go on ice and snow. The number one mistake people make when driving on slick roads is going too fast for the road conditions.
4. Don’t leave home without an emergency Winter Driving Kit in your car. Even a normally short trip can take hours in wintry weather so have enough provisions in case of a long delay.

Winter Driving Kit:

• Keep an emergency kit in your car with tire chains, abrasive material such as sand or kitty litter, small shovel, flashlight with extra batteries, ice scraper, rags or paper towels, flares or other warning devices, booster cables and a first aid kit.
• Bring blankets, jackets, hats and gloves for you and your passengers.
• Pack water and snacks, such as energy bars, and bring pet food if you’re traveling with four-legged friends.
• Keep the pandemic in mind. Bring extra face masks, hand sanitizer, and disinfectant wipes.
• Charge your mobile phone before you hit the road.

Sources: ODOT; AAA/Oregon