“There may be some slippery spots.”  You hear that a lot from weather forecasters all winter.  They just toss it in, almost as an afterthought, as if it’s not very important at all.  You know, not real winter driving conditions like several inches of snow or slush.  No problem.

Well, snow, slush, or an inch thick coating of ice from freezing rain are challenging, can be inconvenient or even fun (depending on how you look at it), but they are predictable.  Mostly they don’t change.  They are what they are.  No tricks.

Possible slick spots, on the other hand, are tricky. Few and far between, they hide out, waiting to take you by surprise – – to ambush you.

You’re nonchalantly cruising along on a good, clear surface.  Then you enter a shaded curve, or go over a bridge, or use an expressway ramp, or apply the brakes for a red light.  You hit black ice.  Then you spin into a snowdrift or a tree.  You slide into a guardrail or skid into the rear end of a stopped truck.

You could get hurt.  You could even kill some innocent pedestrian. Remember that when you watch or listen to the weather report.

02-1-2016