‘A bit rattled’: Driver hits black ice, loses control in Port Alberni

A driver in Port Alberni says she’s shaken up after she hit black ice and lost control of her vehicle, which spun out and crossed into the oncoming lane before hitting a pole. “I’m a bit rattled up, for sure. I’m sure I’m going to be sore tomorrow,” said Nicole Meshen in an interview with CHEK News on scene.

“I haven’t gotten checked out yet. I’m going to.” On Sunday morning, Meshen, the lone occupant, was driving along the Alberni Highway near the Alberni Valley Visitor Centre when she says she drove over a patch of black ice.



She says her vehicle, a red Jeep SUV, “started spinning out, went over the curb or embankment here, came into the oncoming lane ...

backwards spinning and took out the pole, and went down the embankment.” Story continues below Mashen doesn’t think the section of Alberni Highway was salted when the incident occurred, adding, “These roads out here are not salted or anything this morning.” Her vehicle was damaged and towed away as police blocked off the westbound stretch of the highway.

“My vehicle’s written right off, so anybody out there driving should be careful, that’s for sure,” added Mashen in the interview. What is black ice? According to TranBC , black ice is a thin coat of glazed ice on a surface. “And it isn’t black – it’s actually clear, but it takes on a dark colouring from the pavement below it.

Because it is so thin, it is often invisible to the human eye,” reads a post on the TranBC (Transportation Ministry) website. ICBC, meanwhile, says black ice “is commonly found on roads with shaded areas, bridges, overpasses and intersections where car exhaust and packed snow freeze quickly.” It says people who drive over black ice and start to skid should “ease off the accelerator and look and steer smoothly in the direction you want to go.

” The corporation goes on to say: “Don’t brake! This will make the situation worse. You may need to repeat this manoeuvre several times until you regain control.” TranBC adds that motorists out during winter conditions should avoid using cruise control, as this “can actually make you lose control.

Not a good thing.” There are also designated winter tire and chain routes in B.C.

between Oct. 1 and April 30, and maps highlighting these roads can be found here . Mainroad, the highway maintenance contractor for Central and North Vancouver Island, produced educational videos explaining what black ice is and how to handle it: -with files from CHEK’s Kendall Hanson.