Honestly it depends. A lot of people do salt despite the damage. And yes sand can work quite well. In MN we do get ice like this but only a few times a year. Usually it's snow and if you use a snow blower and then scrape with a good shovel that is plenty. The sun and sublimation will take care of the rest even in very cold temps. I'm just repeating what my parents contractors said about the damage to the concrete. Their driveway is about 6 years old and you can see pock marks where the cars are parked and that's only from the road salt. The best thing for them is to not go outside, or if they do then they use spiked shoes. Usually you want to wait until the city can salt the roads if you have a choice.