Freezing temperatures don’t appear to be letting up anytime soon, which means that dangerous conditions on roads will also continue.
It comes as a spokesperson from Transport Infrastructure Ireland said that one-third of the grit that is normally used in the entire winter season will be used this week alone.
Motorists and pedestrians alike should travel with extreme caution as a result of icy roads and paths, but is there any way to find out exactly where has been gritted and where should be avoided?
The good news is that each council will have a map available to outline the route their gritting vehicles will take. This allows any person to log onto their county or city council’s website to plan their route ahead of time.
Some councils will even have a breakdown of the first and second-priority routes that they follow and the times in which their vehicles will be on the roads.
Drivers should be advised to keep a sufficient distance from a salting truck if they find themselves behind it. This is to allow the salt to spread evenly.
On top of choosing gritted roads, there are a number of things to keep in mind when driving on icy roads to stay safe.
AA Ireland has put together a list of tips to abide by. The first of which is to decrease your speed, as it can take 10 times longer to stop.
Secondly, in addition to keeping your distance from a salting truck, be sure to leave a “big, big” gap between your car and the car in front of you.
Do not make sudden steering inputs or break suddenly, where possible.
Next, remember to slow your car down using the gears on black ice. If you do get into a skid, lift off gently and steer into the skid.
Finally, AA Ireland recommends that if you’re in doubt, don’t go out.
Taking to their Twitter page, they posted: “Remember, we are mostly driving on summer tyres which don't perform as well in ice and snow, so only drive if you have to, but if you do, follow the advice below.”
This comes as a spokesperson from Transport Infrastructure Ireland confirmed that more than one-third of the amount of salt used to grit roads during a normal winter will be used during the current cold spell.
Sean O'Neill told RTE’s Morning Ireland on Tuesday morning, December 13: “During this current spell, we're projecting the use of approximately 25,000 to 35,000 tons. This is a severe weather event.
“On an entire winter, you’d be looking at 100,000 tones for an entire season. We currently have over 200,000 tonnes in stock throughout our network.”
O’Neill also confirmed to RTE reporter Cian McCormack that there is an eight-week supply of salt in storage.
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