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Don't get fooled by the good looks of your car. The features inside also matter whether they make your everday drive easier or end up saving your life in an accident
Driving in winter conditions is very different from driving at other times of the year. Adverse weather and longer periods of lowered visibility makes driving more hazardous, therefore requiring greater attention. Sometimes conditions can be extreme, as we have found out over the last two winters in particular, with prolonged periods of fogs and perpetually low visibility. This means we need to adapt the way we drive to ensure safety while travelling. Here are a few tips that will help you reduce the chances of accidents when driving in fog and mist.
A car’s lights are crucial to safety when it is going to be driven through fog, especially the brake lights. Brake lights are vital as they are the only way of communicating your intention to stop to the driver in the car behind you. Overall, lights not only let the driver see where the car is headed but will also ensure other road users are aware of the car's presence on the road. So all lights should be fully functional.
If your car is equipped with fog lamps at the front and rear, use them. They have been provided precisely for use on a foggy day. While the front fog lamps will help you see the road, the one at the rear ensures other road users know you're on the road.
With forward and rearward visibility being low, the driver’s dependability on auditory feedback assumes greater significance, as it can help you hear honking sounds or screeching of brakes even before you visually spot the hazard ahead. Leaving the driver’s side window open just a little bit will let you hear any auditory warning signals before you see the obstacle ahead through the fog.
Use the left or right edge of the road as a reference to know just how the road is curving ahead. It helps keep the driver orientated and in their designated lanes in thick fog when visibility can sometimes be so low you can only see a couple of metres past the car’s bonnet.
It is never a good idea to have your car’s main headlamp beam set on high. Driving with the headlamps in high beam will ensure the beam scatters in the fog and forms a white wall in 58front of the driver, reducing visibility drastically. Instead, use the low beam of the car’s headlamp to pick out the edge of the road to ensure that you stay on the tarmac at all times. This will ensure that there is no white wall effect and you will be able to see relatively better. Also some states have started penalising drivers who drive on high beam in low visibility conditions.
Use your indicators well in advance to signal your intentions. Most people tend to follow tail lamps when driving in foggy conditions. Also ensure that you’re not braking late. Most drivers find it difficult to judge braking distances and points especially in fog. So braking early on and slowly will give other road users sufficient notice to do likewise.
As the visibility is anyway low throughout the winter months, it is advisable to get new wipers if the existing pair have become old and worn out so there are no obstructions to your vision while driving. If the wipers seem ineffective, then stop the car mid-journey and use old newspapers and a little water to clean your windscreen and increase visibility.
The hazard warning lamps in the car warns people of a stationary vehicle by the side of the road. Many people drive with their hazards on in fog. This creates unnecessary confusion since the drivers behind will not have clear indication of whether the car is going to turn left or right. Always use the hazards only when you need to park. Park the vehicle off the road, switch the hazards on and then step away from the vehicle. And try not to park in the foggiest patch.
Use your indicators well in advance to signal your intentions. Most people tend to follow tail lamps when driving in foggy conditions. Also ensure that you’re not braking late. Most drivers find it difficult to judge braking distances and points especially in fog. So braking early on and slowly will give other road users sufficient notice to do likewise.
Speeding up the moment the foggy zone is past is a bad idea. Fog often occurs in patches and there could be more ahead. It's best to keep a safe and constant speed and to drive without urgency as foggy conditions are very deceptive and therefore dangerous.
