HOW TO DRIVE IN FOG? 3 TIPS FROM EXPERIENCE -

When you encounter fog while driving perhaps the first question that comes to mind is how to drive in fog.

Fog is one of the most hated weather conditions among drivers and understandably so.

Low or almost no visibility, loss of orientation, and a high possibility of an accident are just some of the reasons.

This article will show you some ways to stay safe during the fog and perhaps reduce risk to a minimum.

At end of the article, you can watch a video on the same topic or go to our YouTube channel.

HOW TO DRIVE IN FOG?

Before we start, I must mention as a sort of disclaimer that the tips shown here come from personal experience.

In my country, during the autumn and winter, we have lots of dense fog which, believe me sometimes disorients even an experienced local driver.

These tips have served me well over the years and helped me stay safe and I hope they will help you too.

For professional advice on how to drive in fog, you should ask an authority in driving perhaps a driving school, for instance, a professional driver or else.

Back to the tips for driving in fog:

1. DRIVE SLOWLY

This is the number one rule for driving safely in fog.

Since visibility is limited, sometimes to a couple of dozen meters, the reaction time is seriously reduced.

Added to this, it’s not uncommon for another car, tractor, cyclist, a stray animal, or else to suddenly materialize in front of you.

When you drive slowly you stand a very good chance of avoiding an obstacle and a possible accident but if you drive fast in fog, it’s almost imminent that something bad will happen.

No matter how much a hurry it is, always have in mind that fast driving in fog is very dangerous and you’re putting yourself and others at great risk

2. MAKE YOURSELF VISIBLE ON THE ROAD

After slow and cautious driving, making yourself visible on the road is the next important tip. The best way to make yourself visible during driving in fog is:

Use fog lights

Using fog lights will ensure that you’re much more visible on the road, especially during a night drive.

They’re made to shine brighter and once you turn them on, you can be seen from a much further distance than with the normal low beam and rear position lights.

For less thick fog you can use just the front fog lights. Avoid using the rear fog lights in this case as they can seriously distract the driver behind you because they are very bright. Have this in mind if you’re in heavy traffic and there’s a car constantly behind you.

But in thick fog, be sure to use both.

Use low beams (avoid high beams)

During fog, you’ll certainly use the headlights, namely the low beams combined with the fog lights.

Avoid using high beams as they are almost useless. If you do, you’ll just get a blurry white curtain of fog in front of you making visibility much worse.

On lots of cars, you can’t even do this since the high beams automatically turn off the fog lights when you switch them on.

If you want to see how to change a low beam bulb (or other ones) click here to read an article on that topic and watch the video.

Use hazard lights

For driving in thick fog, you can even use hazard lights.

Turn them on while driving and leave them on until the visibility is better.

Since they cause a serious distraction to other drivers, I would recommend using them only when the visibility is seriously reduced (like to a couple of meters).

3. KEEP A SAFE DISTANCE

While driving in fog keep a safe distance from the car in front of you.

This is a golden tip while driving in any condition but it goes double for driving in fog, especially dense one.

The moment you see a car in front of you, adjust your speed or slow down so you can make a safe distance.

This will give you enough time to react if the car in front of you suddenly starts braking which can often happen while driving in fog.

Sudden obstacles are also much easier to avoid when driving slowly.

WHEN DRIVING IN FOG WHAT LIGHT SHOULD YOU USE?

To answer this question one more time: best to use a combination of low beams and fog lights.

That’s for front visibility. For rear visibility use the rear fog light.

Avoid using high beams as they will only worsen visibility and cause a sort of blindness. This goes double for thick fog, all you’ll see is a white screen and nothing else.

Try to avoid using the rear fog lights if there’s a car close behind you. Since the light shines very much, it can cause discomfort and distraction for the driver behind you.

CONCLUSION

One last tip: if the fog is very dense, try to avoid driving altogether if possible.

If it’s not an emergency or you can postpone the trip (especially a longer one), do so and save yourself from the ordeal.

Driving in fog demands extra caution, not to mention it’s tense all the time. This is very tiresome and will cause fatigue and weariness, especially during a long drive.

No need to say how dangerous this can be.

But if you have to drive in fog, then remember these tips as they may come in very handy.