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Throughout the southern states of the U.S., a harsh winter storm has been causing chaos. Atlanta is one of the largest cities being affected by the storm, one where many were not quite prepared for the storm. For the past several days, power outages have hit thousands of residents around the city, as they try and cope with the cold weather. This past weekend, Georgia state officials advised Georgians to stay inside as much as possible in order to avoid the dangers that came from driving in these harsh conditions. Many areas have seen black ice on the road and just slick roads all over the place, putting everyone at risk. Flights out of Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport have been significantly delayed and even cancelled entirely as a result of the storm.

Georgia’s Department of Transportation has taken action to plow streets to make them safe to drive on again.

Roughly 300 pieces of equipment from the state’s DOT have been deployed to clean up roads. Crews have been working 12 hour shifts in order to ensure roads are cleared, at least for emergency vehicles, as even they have faced struggles to get from place to place. Nonetheless, streets are still seeing layers of black ice due to the cold temperatures still hitting the state. The National Weather Service monitors street surface level temperatures and updates them in real time with help from the 11Alive Weather Impact Team. They advise people who can continue to stay home to do so. If people must leave, they strongly suggest you download the 11Alive app and turn on severe weather alerts to keep up to date on road conditions.

If you must leave, here are tips to help you stay safe in case you come across black ice.

Drive slowly. You will want to proceed with caution the entire time you are on the road right now, especially if you see a patch of ice. Have a large following distance. It is very important right now to leave plenty of space between your car and other vehicles on the road. Be sure to keep your distance in case something happens. Increase your braking period. In order to avoid spinning out, brake for longer and slower periods of time. If you brake hard, you will risk skidding on the ice, which increases your risk of crashing.

Additionally, steer in the direction you want to go. This may sound silly, but this applies specifically if you find yourself skidding on the ice. That means, if you start to skid and head towards an obstacle that you may crash into on your right, so you want to go left, steer to the left. Use only your low-beam headlights. High-beam headlights are only good for specific situations, one of which is not when there are wet or icy roads. The slickness of the road could cause harsh reflections that make it more difficult to drive. Keep an emergency kit in your car. Just in case anything does happen while on the road, it is important to have an emergency kit in your car.

The winter storm will hopefully settle in the next coming days but continue to remain cautious no matter what!