Tips for driving safely in fog

As winter intensifies across Pakistan, foggy conditions are becoming increasingly common, leading to reduced visibility and heightened risks for motorists.

Authorities have issued a travel advisory to ensure safety on the roads during foggy weather. Here are essential tips to help drivers navigate safely through foggy conditions:

Essential tips for driving in fog:

Reduce speed: Driving at a slower speed gives you more time to react to unexpected obstacles and reduces the risk of accidents. You must not hurry whether you are travelling within the city or on a highway.

Use fog lights: If your vehicle is equipped with fog lights, turn them on. They are designed to cut through the fog and improve visibility. Use yellowish tinged papers on the headlights and fog lights as they provide better visibility than white lights.

Keep headlights low: Use low-beam headlights as high beams can reflect off the fog, further reducing visibility.

Maintain safe distance: Increase the distance between your vehicle and the one ahead to ensure ample time to stop if necessary. 

Use wipers and defrosters: Keep your windshield and rear window clear by using wipers and defrosters to remove moisture.

Avoid sudden braking: Brake gently to prevent skidding and alert vehicles behind you of your intentions.

Use road markings: Stay within your lane by keeping an eye on road markings, which can guide you in low visibility. You can keep an eye on the cat eyes or lane markings to keep your vehicle on the road.

Avoid using hazard lights while moving: Hazard lights can confuse other drivers. Use them only if you are stationary.

Open the windows: You can keep windows of your car open to avoid the accumulation of mist on the mirrors. It also gives you ability to listen to the wheels voice in case you go off road.

Avoid unnecessary travel: The biggest tip is to avoid the driving during the foggy condition until it is indispensable. Avoid driving during night hours and check the advisory while traveling on highway.

Travel on familiar roads: Never try to drive on those paths and roads you are not familiar with during the foggy conditions. You must chose the roads that you frequently travel and have a memory of each bump and turn on the road.