NORTH CAROLINA (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — Snow, sleet, and freezing rain made its way across the Charlotte metro Friday into Saturday, creating slick conditions on the roadways.
As of Saturday morning, icy road conditions remain a major concern.
Even if frequently trafficked routes are treated in advance, ice and snow can linger on side streets and neighborhood roads, making driving potentially hazardous.
However, staying off the roads isn’t possible for everyone. For those unable to hunker down at home, the North Carolina Department of Transportation has a tool that can help drivers get a sense of road conditions before getting behind the wheel.
Here’s how to check the status of North Carolina roads.
How to check road conditions in North Carolina
Drivers can check local road conditions by using NCDOT’s traffic cameras on drivenc.gov.
Major interstates and routes through the Charlotte metro are visible from hundreds of cameras and can provide some sense of what travel will be like.
NCDOT has provided a special section on their website called ‘January 10 Winter Weather‘ where you can see incidents and accidents related to the winter storm.
In Mecklenburg County, a vehicle crashed into a power pole, taking down some power lines. The accident happened along Beatties Ford Road, near Sample Road in Huntersville.
Duke Energy was working to restore power in the area. The road is scheduled to reopen by noon. Click here for the latest traffic updates and conditions.
What have officials done to prepare for snow and ice?
The NC Department of Transportation activated more than 1,900 employees and contractors involved in pre-storm preparations, and as of Friday morning, they used more than 3 million gallons of brine to pretreat hundreds of roads and highways across the state.
They also had over 600 trucks with plows and spreaders, more than 300 motor graders to remove snow and ice, and over 160,000 tons of salt to treat roads.
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Safety tips for driving in snow and ice
When driving in snowy and icy conditions, AAA recommends only traveling when necessary.
- Stay home. Only go out if necessary. Even if you can drive well in bad weather, it’s better to avoid taking unnecessary risks by venturing out.
- Drive slowly. Always adjust your speed down to account for lower traction when driving on snow or ice.
- 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.
- Increase your following distance to five to six 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. 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. If you can slow down enough to keep rolling until a traffic light changes, do it.
- Don’t power up hills. Applying extra gas on snow-covered roads will just make your wheels spin. Try to get a little inertia going before you reach the hill and let that inertia carry you to the top. As you reach the crest of the hill, reduce your speed and proceed downhill slowly.
- Don’t stop going up a hill. There’s nothing worse than trying to get moving up a hill on an icy road. Get some inertia going on a flat roadway before you take on the hill.
