With the winter season being back, you can expect that the fog will be denser as well. As much as the fog is dense, you still have to go to work or take your kid to school.
This is often seen as the time for more traffic on the road and accidents too often happen during such a time. With the fog being inevitable, you have to find a way to drive through it.
Below are some tips that will help you to drive through fog starting today.
Tip #1: Maintain A Slower Speed
Whenever you cannot see where you are going, it would be better to drive slowly. For a denser fog day, you can expect to find more traffic jams as everyone is trying to be more cautious than ever.
Using your speedometer, you can get to regulate your speed to a certain range all the time. The visual speed indicators will be covered, so you can no longer be sure what speed to use during such a period.
Tip #2: Do Not Turn On High Beam Headlights
The driver in a fog environment will logically switch on the high beam headlights. That would be a mistake as the high beam lights will reflect off on the fog and come back to your car. This makes it even harder for the driver to see due to the reflections.
The best way would be to use low beam headlights that can easily penetrate the fog for you to see a few meters ahead.
Tip #3: Use Your Fog Lights
Not all cars will have the fog lights, but if yours has the pair, it is time to put them to good use. Using your fog light, it will be possible to illuminate the road and become more visible to other drivers too.
If your car has rear fog lights, it would be for the better too. This means that the other vehicles following you will also see your vehicle at a greater distance thus improving their driving skills. No more being knocked from the back because of poor visibility.
Tip #4: Follow The Right Side Pavement Line As The Guide On The Road
Whenever you feel that you cannot see well past a few meters in a thick fog, it is better to use the right-side pavement line as the guide on staying on the road. The problem with using the center pavement markings is that you will be getting closer to oncoming vehicles.
That can be quite dangerous considering that the other drivers are having a problem with visibility too. Most of the time, the center pavement marking might lead to head-on collision accidents. Stick to the right side pavement marking to get to work safely in such a situation.
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Tip #5: Do Not Stop In The Middle Of The Road
The common instinct of many drivers is to stop whenever they cannot see where they are going during a thick fog.
Do not stop on the road as you might just cause unnecessary accidents. The drivers behind you might bump into you unknowingly.
The best thing will be pulling up to the side of the road to avoid causing some collisions with some other people on the road.
Tip #6: Use Of Hazard Lights
Sometimes you might end up being a victim of a stalled car. The timing could never be worse with the fog all around you.
To ensure that people do not keep on bumping into your car, turn on your hazard lights. This will indicate to other drivers to keep some distance from your location.
The next step is to call a towing company to come help move the car. Some people might try to move the car themselves to the side. You have to be careful not to be knocked down by other motorists close to your car.
With the towing company coming to move your car, step out and stand on the sides of the road. This is with an aim to avoid being involved in accidents while seated in your stationary car.
Tip #7: Do Not Speed To Get Away From A Car Behind You
It would be unnecessary for you to accelerate in foggy conditions just as a way of getting away from a car behind you. This will of course lead to accidents by you bumping into the car in front of you.
It would be better to maintain the low speed as each person is trying to be careful not to end up in an accident. The rule here is to drive as fast as the conditions allow and not be in a hurry to get to work.
Tip #8: Keep Your Windows And Mirrors Clean
The windows and mirrors offer a great deal of visibility when made to be clean and clear.
You can use the defroster and wipers to clean the windows so you can have better visibility when driving in thick fog conditions.
Conclusion
Fog conditions can be quite tricky to work around, especially for newer drivers. With a cool head, though, you should have no trouble getting in and out of foggy roads. Stay safe!
