Driving safely requires full concentration and vigilance. However, during weather events like heavy fog, visibility is poor and can negatively impact your driving.
To remain safe when driving in fog, do the following:
1. Slow down before reaching a patch of fog.
2. Turn on your low beams or fog lights.
3. Utilize your defroster and windshield wipers to increase visibility.
4. Roll down all of your windows to hear other vehicles nearby.
5. Maintain a slower speed, keeping a good distance between you and
any vehicles in front of you.
6. Signal your turns earlier than usual.
7. Brake gently and early so vehicles behind you have a chance to react to your driving.
Above all, don’t be afraid to pull over until the fog clears. When doing so, park as far to the right or left of the road as possible and activate your emergency lights. Do not start driving again until visibility improves.
We drive so often that we forget that driving can be extremely dangerous. Consider the following statistics for Driving in the United States:
- Over 37,000 people die in road crashes each year
- An additional 2.35 million are injured or disabled
- Over 1,600 children under 15 years of age die each year
- Nearly 8,000 people are killed in crashes involving drivers ages 16-20
- Road crashes cost the U.S. $230.6 billion per year, or an average of $820 per person
- Road crashes are the single greatest annual cause of death of healthy U.S. citizens traveling abroad
(Association for Safe International Road Travel)
Do know the different types of fog? Read more here.
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