Highway Patrol Warns Drivers to Look Out for Black Ice

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SUMTER COUNTY, S.C. (WOLO)- SCDOT has been hard at work clearing state roads of ice and snow but some roadways still have leftover water on them that could pose safety hazards for drivers.

Attorney Shayla Hayes was driving down Highway 378 in Sumter County Thursday morning when her car slid on ice.

“The vehicle lost traction, I spun out of control, I thought I was going to hit a big tree and something serious was going to happen but thankfully, I did not hit those trees, I was just nestled in that area. Not much damage at all really to the vehicle and thankfully I am okay,” said Hayes.

Hayes is not alone. Lance Corporal David Jones said slippery scenes hers are common.

“We have seen a lot of crashes. We went from having one or two collisions to having 42 collisions just in Sumter and Clarendon within a matter of minutes. As we saw the roadway conditions worsen, we saw our call volumes increase as well,” said Lance Cpl. David Jones of the South Carolina Highway Patrol

And there could be more calls. With chilly temperatures expected to stick around for the next few day, highway patrol is urging everyone to drive safely.

“Just because the sun is out and some of these roadways improved if you are going to travel over the next couple of days, especially when we are seeing temperatures in the 20s, know that these roads can refreeze again. Use extreme caution we can’t stress that enough,” Jones said.

Although secondary roads are the main focus for black ice, troopers said everyone should keep an eye out as water from main breaks and sprinkler systems can also freeze onto roads residential and urban roads as well.