You’re speeding down an asphalt road in Southern California on a cloudless and cold winter day. Without warning, your vehicle starts skidding, and you lose control. You’ve most likely hit a patch of black ice, and unless you know how to deal with it, you may suffer a severe accident.

What Is Black Ice?

Black ice is a thin layer of ice that is hard to see because it’s transparent, which allows you to see whatever is underneath it, such as dark asphalt. During freezing weather, rain or other precipitation collects on bridges, overpasses, driveways, sidewalks, rural lanes, tunnels, and shaded areas. Like the regular variety, black ice forces your tires to lose contact with the road, making the surface slippery.

How Can You Spot Black Ice?

If the temperature is 32 degrees or less, and the road looks shiny or wet, you’re most likely looking at black ice. Carefully use your foot to check a nearby sidewalk, and if you slide, black ice has formed there and probably also on the road. Watch the cars in front of you. If they start to slide, they’re likely going over black ice. Tire tracks or skid marks on a grass median or ditch also indicate the problem.

How Can You Drive on Black Ice?

You’ll likely encounter black ice if you drive in sub-freezing temperatures after a rain or snowstorm. Use these tips to deal with it.

Check your tires. Put a penny upside down into a tire groove, and if you can see the top of Lincoln’s head, your treads are too worn for winter driving. Replace your tires immediately.

Make sure your brakes are in good working condition. If they are spongy or your stopping distances have increased, you may need to replace your brake pads or refill your brake fluid.

Take your vehicle to one of the dealer service centers at the Beach Boulevard of Cars where certified automotive techs can inspect your vehicle systems for cold weather driving and make any replacements where needed.

Drive Slowly. As if negotiating a snow-covered road, reduce your speed and brake earlier than normal when you have to stop. Leave a bigger gap between you and the next vehicle.

In general, you don’t have to do anything special but drive as usual and allow your vehicle to pass over the black ice. You can decelerate by lifting your foot off the accelerator pedal rather than stepping on the brake pedal.

Despite all your precautions, you may end up skidding on black ice. Don’t panic and don’t slam on the brakes, or you may increase the sliding as you lose control. Instead, take your foot off the gas, which slows down your vehicle, giving you precious time to deal with the situation.

If you have standard brakes without an anti-lock brake system (ABS), steer in the same direction your rear end is heading while slowly pumping your brake pedal until you regain control. If you have ABS, lightly press your brake pedal steadily while steering in the same direction your rear end is heading. Do not pump your pedal. When the sun comes up, and the temperatures rise, the black ice will melt. Just tread carefully in the winter, be it on foot or behind the wheel.