Drone captures Houston icy bridge spins, slides, saves and close calls 

Thank you everyone for the shares and comments! To answer a couple of questions: - Where was this filmed? The location was on the Sam Houston Tollway at the bridge over Westheimer Road. - Why did drivers have their hazard flashers on? Drivers that were aware of the ice on the bridges turned their hazards on when approaching the bridge in an effort to alert drivers approaching from behind. For more information on icy road hazards and how to deal with them, visit my winter driving education site at icyroadsafety.com.

I like how quickly the drone camera operator figures out how to tell which drivers are going to end in a slide.

Why are some of these people going so fast🫨

Imagine that - all the people who are going faster than the rest of the traffic seem to have trouble.

Kudos to those drivers who are going slow and safe in these slippery conditions... To me those are the best drivers on the road 👏👏👏

I’m impressed with how well people maintained their vehicle. Ice is the worst

I'm assuming this is your own drone footage based on the copyright. You are doing amazing work and are saving lives by educating us about tricky driving conditions. You are the best.

Wow a lot a close calls 😮

Live in Alabama & we’re going through the same. My decision to stay home has been the right one

I was there. Houston drivers are a great demonstration of exactly what not to do. When I was in highschool, we had serious icing on the roads. If I recall correctly, there were 7000 wrecks in one hour.

I've seen the signs that say "Bridge Freezes Before Road", but I have never actually run into that situation. It must be so weird to be driving ok, then sliding around with virtually no control, and then hitting the unfrozen lanes after the bridge ends. Looks like most people got out unscathed, but I'll bet that lots of laundry had to be done when they got home.

This people are driving like the street is clear no ice OMG !!! Scary 😱

I know these are curated clips, but it's still astonishing to see SO many close calls (and gentle taps with likely no damage).

It's a miracle that there wasn't a massive pile up! Looked like some drivers were hell bent on having one!

Speed is what people need to learn is the big reason they get in accidents.

I lived in Houston for awhile. The summers were so hot, it's hard to visualize ice on the streets!

As a wisconsinite who has to deal with snow and ice every year this video reminds me how lucky i am because we have so many companies who work overtime to keep our roads dry. Im thankful that I live in a place thats at least well equipped for the season

Texas gets a lot of icy roads, particularly overpasses, and when the drivers hit the overpass its kind of frightening how quickly things go sideways. Pretty amazing collection of close calls.

Live in Austin, a bit north of Houston here. I don't leave the house if it's below 32. These people can't drive worth crap on a normal sunny day, let alone icy roads. I figure they think "Boy this weather is slowing me down, I better speed up to make up time."

This reminds me of driving on ice over forty years ago in a car that I did not know was equipped with ABS Brakes and instead of being hit head on by a out of control Semi Truck that skidded into oncoming traffic I was able to steer out of the way while applying the Brakes and it was a pleasant surprise !

Can't steer with your brakes locked up, driving on ice neutral is your most important gear,if you lose traction slip in neutral as you steer, need to slow down touch brakes of and on never stay on brakes. Drive on the highside shoulder more traction. Been trucking alot of years, and that came from the real old timers, much easier back then with less traffic, and the 4 wheeler drivers weren't so stupid as they are today.

Imagine the damage and maybe also injured people without ESC. A lot of people underestimate such conditions.

Condolences to all the motorists that lost their lives amid Monday night’s winter storm. I was told there were ‘Multiple Fatalities’ in Bedford County VA alone.

So many people hitting their brakes! Why????????? Don’t hit your brakes on ice.

Perfect example of why to keep your wheels turning by not OVERAPPLYING BRAKES. Even those that came in hot were able ti recover with gentle counter steer and no pedal input.

1:10 that driver and the one in the clip right after were so lucky they had modern traction control

I don't understand "why some of those drivers were driving so fast" in icy conditions!! My Goodness!!!

A life is more valuable than reaching to work on time, so do not speed!

without traction control/abs these guys would be so -uhm - unlucky.

They drive fast in Houston and over Texas

Thanks for sharing! 👍

The guy walking at the end got me good. Thanks for sharing

This what the sign "Bridge freezes before road" warns you for. Note when they make it across they straighten out. Some good saves especially the BMW that stopped trying to counter and sent it other way.

Good drivers who regain control after a slide without collision make this so satisfying to watch! Kudos!👏🏼 A lot of close calls too😬

Perfect example that people need to learn, “Patience is a virtue”.

Lol most of the semi's just chilling like "Bet yall wish you weighed 20 tons huh!!!"

See that Brinks truck? That was some cold hard cash right there!!!

I cant believe how fast some of those people are driving!

It looks like they were already sliding. Some pretty good saves! 😮

Im going to give ya props Houston… a lot of good saves and the SMART blinker drivers… ya showed out lol

Not all those drivers seem to be driving erratically. Many are too fast, but even slow vehicles are sliding to their left. Is there a slope to that bridge?

Problem is people are driving too fast in these Trucks and SUVs thinking that because they have AWD, their cars are invincible to ice and snow on the roads.

Crazy weather for Houston. Looks like everyday weather here from November to March.🇨🇦

Great driving ! Keep up the speed !

Pro tip; if driving a pickup truck get a square hay bale, secure it against the tailgate and pour water on it and let it freeze. Do this until the haybale is a solid chunk of ice and hay. Weight = traction.

1:20 Wow, excellent stability control in that Toyota! Look at it stop the pendulum effect by braking the inside rear wheel...fortunate that there was traction at that spot, though

Some of the drivers were able to manage the situation very well...

As a trucker I'm so tired of seeing no one knowing how to drive on ice correctly.... some people know how to drive on ice but obviously most people don't and those are the ones who get the roads shut down. If you loose traction turn into the direction of the spin then "turn slowly back opposite of the spin" to regain traction on ur steers. Don't panic and don't mess with the brakes too much. If you don't know what it feels like to loose control on the ice then I'd suggest practicing in an empty super icy parking lot or at least that's how I became pro at ice driving. Practice controlling the slide without freaking out. When it comes to ice your going to slide no matter what but don't freak out and leave your brakes alone while trying to regain control because if you freak out and slam on your brakes you are not going to stop any faster but rather just slide out of control while not only risking your own life but the lives of everyone else around you. Ice driving is super easy if you just do it right. I've passed hundreds of vehicles off the roads who slid off the road in just 1 day because of people not driving on the ice correctly. Within the 1st second of starting to slide out of control via "black ice" my mind instantly picks it up and it's usually corrected in less than 1 second or in about a 1/2 second and I keep driving. Don't think just because you might drive slow you can avoid sliding. There is no avoiding the slide but you must learn to control any amount of sliding which may come your way. I've never slid off the road even in the most untreated dangerous icy conditions. Learn the limits of the vehicle your driving and master control of that vehicle on the ice via empty parking lot practice but practice is key to perfection.

This isn't nearly as bad as some I've seen. Many of the cars don't appear to be going that fast, yet they start sliding and then suddenly the tires grip on the dry patches of pavement.

Do not hit the brakes when sliding

I don’t know why but watching these are relaxing 😂

PEOPLE BE CAREFULL OUT THERE.😊❤❤❤❤❤❤

some people are idiots the guy with the commercials truck with small crane and a trailer is going to fast for condition if I was his boss he will be sitting at home for 2 weeks

I feel for these people. I'm born and raised in Buffalo and still live in the NE, so I know how to drive in bad weather - but ice is a different animal, especially on a bridge, obviously. These people most likely only encounter this a few times every twenty years. I sympathize.

Some people just don't want to slow down no matter what. They are the most dangerous impatient drivers on the road.

Despite their error in going too fast, likely not used to the ice in Texas, many of these drivers did do a good job of not overcorrecting and making it worse. I’ve seen plenty of these vids go the other way

So many people driving who are too stupid to simply just slow down.

Wow - I’m in shock. This is nothing, I’m from Chicago. Still, most are driving like idiots. Edit: why didn’t they put any salt down?

I love it when people who speed when the roads are slick get into crashes; as long as they don't crash into others who are safely operating their vehicles.

wow, the recovery maneuvers on some of these are kind of impressive. Houstonians and icy roads don't mix, so I am surprised this didn't end up in a 40-car pile-up.

Always entertaining to watch Texans try to drive on snow or ice. ditto for all of Dixie.

Some people should take a few driving courses, and some should not have a license.

Do you mind me asking the model of the drone? Great video!

For a second I thought the first shot with the red truck was the same one I drove past on 59 North near Humble. Didn't know you made it to my neck of the woods lol.

"Hey dude, it might be icy". "No problem man, I'll just drive faster and follow more closely than my usual tailgating. Seems to be the right thing to do to me!"

In Florida, driving with the hazard flashers on will get you a citation.

Some great saves in this video

Were there any pre-warning information of the ice on the bridge

What you doing out in that mess anyway?

Gotta admire the confidence of some of these bozos.

Good save at the end there!

Those were some smooth saves 😉

Some people are idiots

Video should be called morons on ice

ABS /TCS/ESC works. This is a pretty clear display of that. It's kinda beautiful.

My daily dose of driving entertainment

I know taking advice from a Yankee isn’t always preferred. In this case though I can help. A tow truck driver in New Hampshire told me years ago to put your vehicle into neutral if you ever start to skid. It makes your car or truck dead weight and takes the power off the wheels. As soon as it’s in neutral then use your brakes (don’t lock them up). You’ll have full steering then slowing down put car back in drive. Could save your life and your ride.

So many people going way too fast for the dangerous weather conditions!!! Hope they learned from this!! 😮

good video

Are snow tires doing any good on these roads?

some of these drivers did really well in regaining control, others not so much

This is so fun to watch

This is better than Disney on Ice.

Beautiful weather here in California!😎

Glad everyone is okay

Gosh, if only there was a way to make the planet warmer.

That BMW recovered smoothly lol

Living in socal, I never knew about the real danger of icy roads. I would hear people say, you need chains, when going to Big Bear, a popular place in the mountains. I’m glad to have a caution light now about icy roads. They just slip!!

In Fort Worth, the roads are "sprayed" with some sort of deicing solution 24hrs. prior to a bad storm. The trouble is that the solution is dried up and worn away by the time the storm arrives so the roads are still slick with ice. If we had snow, it would be an improvement, but we don't get that much snow. (Usually an inch once or twice a year) My only advice is to watch and enjoy the show. We do...we're the ones who stayed home.

There are often signs in Canada warning that a bridge will freeze before a road.

I'm sitting here squealing and holding my breath every time a vehicle starts sliding like I'm there.

This is a very entertaining video to watch. Let’s see more.

The number of people blaming driving too fast for those losing control is funny given it will be attempting to slow down that actually caused it. Many were driving at a reasonable speed but braked, then started sliding. Try to brake too hard from walking pace and you'll slide, so if that indicates walking pace is too fast then all bridges should be completely closed when they ice over surely, if speed is the whole problem? If you look far enough down the road you can slow for stuff without needing to touch the brakes. If you don't touch the brakes and are gentle with steering inputs you could cruise across patches of ice without completely losing control. Very light acceleration can help by just maintaining balance by maintaining speed, providing previous actions didn't cause driven wheels to break traction/spin. You could even get across ice without realising you were on it, besides a lack of road noise. Maintaining this light acceleration in curves will prevent lift-off oversteer from the slight weight transfer towards the front of the car that this causes, and that icy conditions can exacerbate. Get your speed right before arriving at curves and tighter corners and you'll be much less likely to lose control in them. Pulling on the steering wheel to initiate a turn can be smoother than pushing it, eg pulling down with your left hand to turn left instead of pushing up with your right. Jerky steering inputs can also destabablise the vehicle. These are a couple of examples of 'Roadcraft' techniques that are far more detailed and very much worth looking into. They're talked about with a UK focus quite often, but the techniques are applicable everywhere, it just might be a bigger jump up in skill for some from that country's basic driving test(s).

Wow thanks for the catch. I am now a subscriber and tell people to slow it down and arrive alive 😅

As a fellow Houstonian I’m not surprised. We always have those knuckleheads who think they’re untouchable. (Or simply think it won’t happen to them) no matter what the type of weather we get no matter the amount of warnings they receive. They’ll always drive like it’s any other day. Same thing with hurricane season. We flood easily and yet you see these same people driving into flooded roads and think they’ll be able to cross. Then you have the authorities trying to snatch them out when they can be helping others who really require the resources. I have zero sympathy for these people. They’re not only putting themselves in danger but others as well. Smh. 🤦‍♂️

Houston is a weird place... They have icy roads but still got green leaves in the trees...

*S Tier* Bro seen a concrete bridge and remembered they had a drone. Instant Gold mine, dont even know what action to focus on first.

Hilarious video!!

I've heard that one of the worst things to do under this conditions is braking.

Did the guy running across the road make it in one piece? I was on Barker Cypress and hit a small patch going over 290. Felt the wheels slip just a bit.