Road safety during winter months is significantly compromised by the formation of black ice - transparent ice patches that are nearly invisible to drivers. These patches often form in microclimates where surrounding temperatures may not indicate freezing conditions, leading to unexpected loss of traction. Current solutions like weather reports and driver vigilance fail to detect these hyperlocal hazards, resulting in preventable accidents.

A Sensor-Based Warning System

One approach to address this could involve equipping vehicles with infrared sensors that continuously monitor road surface temperature. When temperatures near freezing, the system could analyze additional factors like precipitation data, vehicle speed, and windshield temperature to assess ice formation risk. Warnings could then be delivered through the car's existing alert systems with varying severity levels based on:

• Presence of precipitation
• Time since last road treatment
• Road type (bridges freeze faster than regular pavement)

More advanced implementations might interface with vehicle traction control systems to automatically adjust for potential low-traction conditions.

Implementation Strategy

For initial testing, a retrofitted solution for commercial fleets could be developed, using an aftermarket sensor module that connects to the vehicle's OBD-II port. This would allow for real-world testing while aggregating data across multiple vehicles. As the technology matures, factory-installed sensors could be integrated into new vehicles' CAN bus systems, enabling more sophisticated analysis through access to additional vehicle data streams.

Potential Benefits

Such a system could provide several advantages over existing solutions:

1. Real-time detection of actual road conditions rather than weather forecasts
2. Continuous coverage on all roads rather than fixed sensor locations
3. Potential to integrate with both human-driven and autonomous vehicles

The aggregated data from multiple equipped vehicles could also help municipalities optimize winter maintenance operations without requiring additional infrastructure investment.