Driving an automobile is quite a unique feeling. No matter if your vehicle of choice is a car, a truck, or even an RV, some things feel the same. The roar of the engine when you start it up, that sense of motion that you get even though you’re not really moving yourself, the thrill of accelerating to higher speeds on the highway, and more! Indeed, being behind the wheel can be as much of a passion as it is also useful! Fact of the matter is, getting from point A to point B has never been easier since the invention of cars, and modern ones keep getting better and better. Of course, we must always be careful on the open road, especially when driving in fog, as improper weather conditions can be a very serious safety hazard.
Even when everything’s sunny and our road visibility isn’t impaired in the slightest, it can really only take one second of not paying attention for something tragic to happen. For our younger readers, we recommend you our article about car tips & tricks, which should get you more accustomed to your vehicle. However, even if you’re an experienced driver, you should take extra precautions, and that’s why we’ve prepared some tips for driving in fog down below.
1. Assure You’re at a Safe Distance From the Car Ahead
Maintaining a proper distance from the driver ahead of you is safe to be considered mandatory even under normal conditions, as when you hit your brakes, the vehicle isn’t going to stop instantaneously. Of course, the best practice is for you to bring your car to a halt gradually, so that you can minimize the wear & tear of your car’s components.
That being said, critical situations when you have to slam the brakes can happen, and for your car to have ample time to actually stop in that scenario, you need to allow ample space in front of you. This can become a much more serious problem if you’re speeding on the highway, as you can imagine, and doubly so if you are in fog and can’t see anything clearly.
Bonus tip: Slow down, it won’t do you any good to start speeding in these conditions. Even if the driver behind you is right on your tail, keep it cool and steady.
2. Don’t Use High-Beam Headlights
When you can’t see much of the road, having the instinct to turn on the high-beams is completely normal, but you should seriously refrain from doing it. While it may seem like a good idea, we assure you that it’s actually not. That’s because fog is basically water, but in gas form. As such, those minuscule droplets reflect light sources, so you’ll end up making everything worse for yourself.
What you can use however, and it’s even suggested in fact, are fog lights, if your vehicle has this feature. Even if you don’t have forward-facing fog lights, there could be some on the rear of your vehicle, which would be of great help to the other people which are also driving in fog.
3. Rear Lights of Other Cars Aren’t a Guide
Speaking of lights, you could think that it’s common sense to follow the car ahead you when driving in fog. After all, if they’re turning right or left, then that’s where the road is supposed to be, right? Well, yes, in theory. You can never know for sure how much attention the driver ahead of you is paying to the road, and vehemently following their car’s rear lights can actually lead you even off the road.
Instead, stick to following road signs, markers, the line on the right side of the road, and, if present, reflectors.
4. Know When To Stop Driving
Our opinion is that a list of valuable tips for driving in fog should always include this following one, which we also consider to be the most important: if you feel unsure of your abilities to drive through dense fog, don’t. Even if it’s imperative for you to get somewhere as fast as possible, it’s more important for you to get there safely. Fog can be very tricky to navigate through, and there’s no actual reason to attempt it. You could hit bumps in the road (which don’t do you suspensions any favors), damage your auto glass, or even get into an accident.
Just check your mirrors, slow down gently, and pull to the side of the road. Turn on your hazard lights, and simply wait. The fog’s not going to be there forever!
