Safety Tips for Driving in Foggy Conditions

Ensuring Road Transportation Safety in Foggy Weather During Autumn and Winter

With the arrival of the autumn and winter seasons, dense fog reduces visibility and creates slippery road surfaces, posing severe challenges to the safety of road transport vehicles. Strictly adhering to driving specifications for foggy conditions and remembering key precautions is essential to protect lives and property and maintain road transport order.

I. Comprehensive Pre-Trip Inspection and Preparation

1. Vehicle Condition Check:

• Braking System: Inspect carefully to ensure brakes are responsive and reliable. Check that brake pad wear is within normal limits, brake fluid shows no leaks, and levels meet standards.

• Tires: Conduct a comprehensive tire check. Examine tread depth; replace tires if tread is severely worn. Ensure tire pressure meets standards to avoid affecting vehicle handling stability and braking performance due to abnormal pressure.

• Lighting System: Ensure fog lights, low beam headlights, marker lights, front and rear position lights, and hazard warning flashers are all functional. Any faulty light can pose a safety hazard in fog.

• Wipers: Check windshield wipers to ensure they effectively clear condensation and water droplets from the windshield, maintaining good visibility.

2. Plan a Reasonable Route:

• Use map apps, traffic radio, expressway condition hotlines, and other channels to understand road and weather conditions along your planned route in advance. Try to avoid areas prone to heavy fog, such as mountainous regions, river valleys, bridges, tunnel entrances/exits, and construction zones.

• For long-distance transport, plan multiple alternative routes to allow flexible adjustments in case of unexpected situations.

II. Strictly Standardized Operations While Driving

1. Control Speed and Maintain Distance Appropriately:

• On Expressways:

• When visibility is less than 200 meters, speed should not exceed 60 km/h, maintaining a safe distance of over 100 meters from the vehicle ahead in the same lane.

• When visibility is less than 100 meters, reduce speed to below 40 km/h, keeping a distance of over 50 meters.

• If visibility drops below 50 meters, speed must be controlled within 20 km/h, and you should exit the expressway at the nearest ramp.

• On Ordinary Roads: Maximum speed should preferably not exceed 30 km/h, while maintaining a safe distance from the vehicle ahead sufficient for performing emergency braking.

2. Use Lights Correctly:

• Upon entering a foggy area, immediately turn on fog lights and low beam headlights. The yellow light of fog lamps has strong penetrating power, effectively cutting through thick fog and making your vehicle more visible to other road users. Low beams illuminate the road close ahead.

• If visibility is extremely poor, also turn on hazard warning flashers. However, avoid using hazard lights indiscriminately during normal driving to prevent misleading following vehicles.

• Crucially, avoid using high beams. Light from high beams scatters in fog, creating a blinding "white wall" effect that severely impedes the driver's vision.

3. Exercise Caution in Driving Maneuvers:

• Avoid sudden acceleration, hard braking, and sharp steering, as these aggressive actions can easily cause the vehicle to skid or lose control.

• If you need to decelerate, release the accelerator gradually and slow down smoothly by applying the brakes gently and intermittently. This also alerts following vehicles with your brake lights.

• Minimize lane changing/overtaking. If overtaking is necessary, signal your intention by honking the horn and flashing your lights in advance. Only proceed once the leading vehicle yields and you confirm the road ahead is clear, completing the maneuver promptly.

• Drive within your lane. On roads without lane markings, stay close to the center of the road but do not occupy the oncoming lane for extended periods. This helps avoid collisions with roadside obstacles or head-on collisions due to poor visibility.

III. Calm Response and Handling of Special Situations

1. Encountering Patchy Fog:

• If you suddenly enter an area of dense, patchy fog, do not panic, slam on the brakes, or jerk the steering wheel.

• Immediately release the accelerator to allow the vehicle to slow down gradually, turn on hazard warning flashers, grip the steering wheel firmly, and proceed slowly following the direction indicated by the lane markings.

• Resume normal driving only after exiting the fog patch or when visibility improves.

2. Vehicle Breakdown or Accident:

• If a breakdown or accident occurs in foggy weather, move the vehicle to the emergency lane or a safe area promptly.

• If the vehicle cannot be moved, keep hazard warning flashers on continuously and place warning signs at an appropriate distance behind the vehicle: at least 50 meters on ordinary roads, and over 150 meters on expressways.

• Occupants should evacuate to a safe area outside guardrails as soon as possible.

• Call the police and emergency services immediately. While waiting for assistance, do not linger around the vehicle to prevent secondary accidents.