Shaded Roads, Frequent Occurrences in Tunnels, Bridges, and Underpasses
Death Risk Up to 3 Times Higher in Freezing Accidents
[Asia Economy Reporter Yoon Seul-gi] Winter road black ice, known as 'Black Ice,' is threatening drivers' safety. Road black ice occurs not only in freezing temperatures below zero but also at temperatures above freezing. Drivers need to be especially cautious when driving on shaded roads, tunnels, bridges, and underpasses, where geothermal influence is less.
According to police and fire authorities, on the 15th at 9:11 PM, a chain collision involving 47 vehicles occurred on the Guri-Pocheon Expressway in Pocheon-si, Gyeonggi Province, resulting in one death and three serious injuries. Initially, about 10 vehicles collided in a chain reaction, and subsequent vehicles were also involved in collisions of 2 to 3 cars each.
At around 9:15 PM on the 5th, a chain collision involving dozens of vehicles occurred on the road toward Pocheon on the Guri-Pocheon Expressway in Pocheon-si, Gyeonggi Province. Photo by the Fire Department, Yonhap News
Authorities consider black ice the main cause of the accident. Black ice is a freezing phenomenon formed when melted snow or rainwater seeps into road cracks and refreezes during winter. It forms thinly and is difficult to detect with the naked eye due to its black color caused by mixed exhaust fumes and dust.
Because of this, winter traffic accidents caused by black ice continue to occur. In December 2019, a major multi-vehicle collision happened on the Sangju-Yeongcheon Expressway in both directions during early morning hours, resulting in 7 deaths and 32 injuries simultaneously.
Black ice accidents are concentrated between December and January, requiring drivers to exercise extra caution during this period. According to big data analysis by the Road Traffic Authority last month, there were 4,932 freezing-related traffic accidents over the past five years, with accidents in December (1,627 cases) and January (1,983 cases) accounting for 73.2% of the total.
The fatality rate is also high in freezing accidents. During this period, 122 people died, and the fatality rate (number of deaths per 100 traffic accidents) was 2.5, about 1.5 times higher than the overall traffic accident fatality rate of 1.6. On expressways, the fatality rate for freezing-related traffic accidents was 16.1, three times higher than the overall expressway traffic accident fatality rate of 5.2. The time frame between 6 AM and 10 AM accounted for 38% of all accidents, with the highest fatality rate of 6.5 occurring between 4 AM and 6 AM.
Many people think road freezing only occurs in cold weather, but it can happen even at temperatures of 2 to 3 degrees Celsius, so caution is always necessary when driving in winter. Especially shaded roads, tunnel entrances and exits, bridges, and underpasses with high humidity and less geothermal influence have lower temperatures than surrounding areas, making black ice more likely to form.
Since black ice tends to occur repeatedly in certain areas, extra caution is needed when driving in these zones. As of 2021, there are 3,027 habitual freezing locations. Information on habitual freezing zones is provided through voice guidance services on private navigation systems and can also be checked on the Life Safety Map website.
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