How can we make roads safer in winter?

Many places add salt to roads when it snows.

It’s snowing! The roads are covered with ice. It is harder for cars to stop. How can we make roads safer? Trucks spread salt on the roads. How does this help?

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Salt helps keep water from changing to ice.

Salt lowers the freezing point of water (the temperature at which water changes to ice). The salt mixes with water. This makes it harder for water to change to ice. The freezing point of water is 32°F. The freezing point of water mixed with salt is lower.

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Salt can wear away cars.

Salt can slowly wear away cars and roads. It also gets into ecosystems (all the living and nonliving things in an area). Extra salt in ecosystems can harm plants and animals. 

What can be used in place of salt? Some cities use a mix of salt and sand. The sand helps cars stop faster. Less salt is needed.

What Do You Think? What does your town do when roads are covered with snow?

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