Essential Safety Tips: Top 5 must-do actions while driving in foggy conditions
Driving in winter becomes tricky, especially when cities and highways are covered in a dense blanket of fog. It is one of the terrible weather situations to drive or ride because of poor visibility and can land you in soup even if you are an experienced driver. While the best way to avoid fog is to stay off the roads and highways provided, you need to travel. But what should you do if you have to drive or ride in the dense fog? Here we give you simple but essential tips on carefully driving through the fog.
Check the lightsForemost, the first step before going on a road or highway in foggy conditions is to ensure all vehicle lights, such as headlights, fog lights, taillights, and indicators, are in optimal working condition. It is important to know that utilising fog lamps, if present in the vehicle, helps to enhance visibility closer to the ground, making navigating through the fog easier.
Use low-beam headlightsUsing headlights in foggy conditions is a must, but one should avoid turning on high-beam lights. Since fog has water droplets, which reflect light and even spread it, worsening visibility. Hence, choosing low-beam lights assists in illuminating the road without creating glare.
Drive Slowly and Maintain Safe Distance
Navigating through dense fog demands alertness and adherence to crucial safety measures. Therefore, reducing your speed significantly is a necessary step when faced with poor visibility. Driving slowly allows for better reaction time and gives an opportunity to adapt to sudden changes, roadblocks, and potholes. Above all, it is also important to maintain a safe distance from the vehicle ahead as it enables the driver to react in case of any unexpected situations and prevents collisions.
Demist windowsThe challenges posed by reduced visibility require a cautious approach to ensure a safe journey not only for oneself but also for the fellow road users. Fog often causes windows to fog up or condensation inside, reducing visibility further. To demist the windows, turn on the defogger or heater in the air condition system. On the flip side, you can also roll down windows, if safe to do so, for better air circulation, maintain clear visibility inside the vehicle, and get an exact sense of surrounding.
Avoid using hazard lights, except in emergenciesWhile hazard lights are typically used to indicate an emergency or signal a broken down stationary vehicle, turning them on while driving in foggy conditions could create confusion. Instead, make most of out the low-beam lights and drive cautiously to ensure better communication and safety on the road.
Last but not least, if you are on a motorcycle going through freezing fog, use a high-visibility or reflective vest over your riding jacket, avoid unnecessary overtaking, slow down and honk at corners.
In conclusion, driving or riding through dense fog demands pro-activeness and following safety measures to for better visibility and cautious navigation. By following these simple tips, drivers can contribute to a safer driving environment, avoiding risks related to poor visibility.
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