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Soaring UV levels: Melting road tar a warning to ‘slip, slop and slap’

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Yesterday’s UV index chart from the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research. The UV level was the highest for Gisborne so far this summer. The temperature reached just under 33 in the shade at Makaraka.

If the tar seal on roads starts melting, then it is definitely time to use sunscreen on human bodies.

Research in recent years has shown just how seriously ultraviolet radiation can damage the tarseal component of road surfacing.

UV changes the structure of the tar and accelerates its chemical breakdown, leading to brittleness and cracking, which in turn makes the road more vulnerable to rain pe...

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