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There are various dangerous weather conditions you can encounter as a driver, with heavy fog being one of them. It can limit visibility, impair your perception of what speed and safe following distance to maintain, which can result in a life-threatening event if you don’t take the necessary precautions. Read on to learn more about road safety in foggy conditions.

Why Fog is So Dangerous for Drivers

Fog significantly reduces visibility, sometimes down to just a few metres. This visual limitation makes it difficult to see road signs, hazards, vehicles, pedestrians, and cyclists. Most importantly, it removes the visual cues you rely on to judge distance, speed, and movement. In low-lying areas, particularly near rivers and coastlines, you might notice that fog can last for hours, making driving particularly hazardous during peak travel times.

Additionally, most drivers underestimate the dangers caused by fog. This can lead to overcompensating with incorrect responses, such as speeding through patches or turning on high beams, which can reflect light into other drivers’ eyes and worsen visibility.

Key Risks of Driving in Fog

• Reduced reaction time due to the inability to see obstacles ahead.
• Rear-end collisions are common when drivers follow too closely or brake suddenly.
• Multi-vehicle pileups are more likely to occur on freeways, where speeds tend to be higher.
• Straying from the correct lane since fog blurs lane markings and road edges.
• You might feel disoriented, making it easy to lose your sense of direction or misjudge when to make turns.

How to Prepare Before Driving in Fog

1. Check the Weather Forecast

It’s highly advised that you keep up to date with weather updates before you travel, especially if you live in an area where fog frequently happens during winter mornings. If heavy fog is predicted, you should consider delaying your trip until conditions improve.

2. Inspect Your Vehicle’s Lights

Inspecting your vehicle’s lights, including headlights, brake lights, turn signals, and fog lights, can help ensure they are functioning correctly. Moreover, you should keep in mind that fog lights are specifically designed to lower the effects of mist and enhance your vehicle’s visibility to others without causing glare.

3. Keep Your Windows and Mirrors Clean

If your car is dirty, the buildup of dirt particles and your windscreen misting up can worsen visibility while driving. Cleaning your windows and mirrors with a clean cloth before driving can improve your visibility on foggy winter mornings when conditions aren’t satisfactory.

Driving Tips for Foggy Conditions

• Slow Down: Speed is the most dangerous factor in fog. Reducing your speed gives you more time to react if a vehicle or hazard suddenly appears. It’s also important to remember that if you can’t see clearly, you can’t stop quickly to avoid accidents.
• Use Fog Lights:  Use low-beam headlights and fog lights if your car has them. High beams reflect off the fog’s moisture droplets and reduce your visibility even more. Ensure rear fog lights are also activated so drivers behind you can see your brake signals.
• Increase Your Following Distance: Double or even triple your normal following distance. In fog, vehicles may brake suddenly. Giving yourself a greater buffer zone reduces the risk of collisions.
• Use Road Markings as a Guide: Follow the white line on the left-hand side of the road. This helps prevent you from drifting into oncoming traffic or veering off the road.
• Avoid Sudden Stops: Brake and accelerate gently. Sudden movements can cause skidding or surprise other drivers, leading to chain-reaction accidents.
• Keep Windows Clear and Use Wipers: Fog regularly causes interior condensation. Use your demister and climate control to keep the inside of your windscreen clear. External fog may also require you to use your wipers intermittently.
• Avoid Overtaking: In thick fog, you can’t see far enough ahead to make safe overtaking decisions. It’s better to stay in your lane and wait until visibility improves.
• Listen for Hazards: Open your window slightly to hear traffic you may not be able to see, especially at intersections or railway crossings. Reduce any distractions, such as playing loud music, that could cause you to miss cues.

What to Do if You Must Stop

If conditions become so poor that driving feels unsafe, consider pulling over safely and entirely off the road. Additionally, turn on your hazard lights so that other drivers can see you, and wait in your vehicle with your seatbelt on in case of another collision. Avoid stopping on the shoulder or in a travel lane unless necessary.

When to Avoid Driving Entirely

If the fog is thick enough that you can’t see the taillights of the car in front of you, or worse, you can’t see the road at all, you should not drive even if it’s a short distance. If you can wait it out for a while until it clears, you can prevent unwanted collisions. However, if you need to travel somewhere in case of an emergency, consider using an alternative mode of transportation.

Fog might not seem as dangerous as other extreme weather conditions, such as heavy rain. Yet, it can still lead to potentially life-threatening outcomes if you don’t prepare and understand how to navigate roads and adapt your driving accordingly. Suppose you find yourself in a collision as a result of driving in low-visibility road conditions from fog. In that case, you should rely on the FREE-to-use iER App to provide immediate medical response, 24/7 wherever you are.