I am originally from Michigan where we always got lots of snow - like sometimes six foot drifts at the front door. But, the first year I experienced Black Ice I was in Dallas. It was in 1978 or so. Everything had up to a 1/2 inch of ice on it, roads, bushes, trees. Since there was ice everywhere I put on my snowmobile suit and my skates and I skated in the middle of the road because there was no traffic. I was doing pretty good and people would open their doors and yell out at me, like cheering me on. Until I came up to one of my neighbors who had thrown sand down his driveway and into the street. That is the only time I fell. What a noob and I told him that. I have not worn my snowmobile suit since.
I thought “black ice” was just roads slick with ice that couldn’t be seen? I don’t think we had anything like that where I grew up and was used to driving on lots of snow. This stuff in TX certainly could be seen - deep ruts from the big trucks tire tracks - my daughter got in them and I told her she wouldn’t easily get out of them, they were that deep.
I didn’t drive much in Southern CA but I told her I would be able to help drive on the trip and I said, ESPECIALLY in TX where I wouldn’t have to be in lots of traffic. HA - after that experience, I didn’t drive in TX or any other state coming cross country! Original chicken in traffic - learning to drive on two lane country roads in upstate NY and then driving on freeways was not my cup of tea!