Yes, salt, particularly rock salt, can help improve traction, especially in icy or snowy conditions.
How Salt Provides Traction
While primarily known for its ability to melt ice, salt also serves a practical purpose in providing immediate grip. The provided reference specifically notes that rock salt is effective for melting ice and "providing emergency traction for stuck motorists".
Here's how it works:
- Melting Ice: When salt is spread, it lowers the freezing point of water. This causes ice to melt, or at least become slushier, which can improve tire contact with the underlying surface.
- Providing Grit: Even before significant melting occurs, the granular nature of rock salt itself provides a rough surface that tires can grip onto. This is particularly useful in emergency situations, like when a vehicle is stuck on ice or compacted snow. The salt crystals act like small pieces of gravel, increasing the friction between the tires and the slippery surface.
Practical Applications
Salt is commonly used for traction in several scenarios:
- Emergency Situations: As highlighted in the reference, spreading salt around the drive wheels of a stuck vehicle can provide the necessary immediate grip to get moving.
- Walkways and Steps: Applying salt to icy sidewalks and steps helps prevent slips and falls by both melting ice and providing a textured surface.
- Roads and Driveways: While the primary goal on roads is often de-icing, the presence of salt crystals can offer some degree of immediate traction before melting is complete.
Using Salt for Grip
If you find yourself needing emergency traction on ice:
- Ensure your wheels are pointing straight.
- Clear away as much snow or ice as possible from around the tires.
- Generously spread rock salt directly in front of and behind the stuck tire(s), focusing on the path the tires will follow.
- Try to move slowly and steadily. Avoid spinning the tires, as this can embed them further and melt the ice, creating a slicker surface.
By providing both a melting effect and a granular surface for tires to grip, salt serves a dual purpose in combating slippery winter conditions, including offering vital emergency traction.
