Fog Driving Safety Tips

Driving a vehicle in fog is considered to be the most harmful weather hazard, particularly if it’s extraordinarily dense fog or coupled with other unpleasant weather conditions. Foggy conditions are the biggest cause of large multi-car pile ups. However, there are some things you can do to lower your chances of needing Saint Louis car repair. These guidelines, given by Car Craft Auto Body, will allow you to be safer on foggy Saint Louis, MO streets.

Slow It Down

Inside dense fog, a very scary thing happens to individuals as they’re driving. They unintentionally accelerate! Needless to say, we all know that speeding up in fog is the worst thing you could do, but fog makes an optical illusion. As you look out your windshield, your body perceives that you are going really slow. Since the majority of individuals get anxious in fog, they do not look down at their speedometer. Over time, they start going faster and faster. This is absolutely the riskiest part of driving in fog. Make a mindful effort to glance at your speedometer from time to time. There is a good chance you keep speeding up, without knowing it!

Keep It Straight

When you’re driving any vehicle in fog in the St. Louis area, it’s a smart idea to follow the lines on the road with your eyes. This is the best way to make sure you remain in your lane. Drivers are generally drawn to lights, and unconsciously, will steer in the direction of lights. So it’s far better to watch the lines to be sure you are driving in your lane. Just be sure you aren’t fixating. You want to keep eyes moving.

Follow Them Far

A safe following distance is vital in fog. Many drivers will “bunch up” during foggy conditions mainly because they feel it’s easier to see. Traveling in fog is scary, but now is not the time to follow too close. That is one of the big reasons massive pile-up’s come about.

Keep Them On

Always keep your headlights on when you’re driving any vehicle in foggy conditions to avoid a nasty auto body repair bill. Your daytime running lights are not adequate. A lot of people turn their lights off as they feel their headlights are blinding them from reflecting off the fog, but you basically become a “ghost car” when this happens. Your headlights aren’t to help you to see better, it is so other people can see you! If your vehicle is equipped with fog lights, utilize those as well. When traveling in fog, it’s very important to stay visible to others.

Keep Them Low

Don’t ever use your high beam headlights in foggy environments. Your high beam headlights reflect off of the water vapor and in fact lower your visibility. You might feel that your low beam headlights are doing the same thing, but again, keep them on. It’s the very best way for you to be seen.

When It’s Time To Stop

At times, foggy conditions become too thick to drive safely. If you find that you’re exceeding your comfort zone, it might be best to stop until the fog lifts. Bear in mind– this is definitely dangerous situation! If you can’t see, neither can anybody else. Try to get as far off of the road as possible. Pull into driveway, parking area, rest area, side street, or some other place where you can avoid heavy traffic flow. But if the roadway shoulder is your only choice, pull way over. Go into the grass if necessary. If there’s a curb, drive on it and park on the opposite side of the curb. Stay buckled up and turn your lights off! When you leave your lights on, people might think you are driving your car on the roadway and rear-end you. Ensure that your foot is off the brake pedal, and do not use your flashers. Keep all of your lights off. If there’s shelter close by, try to get there quickly. If not, stay within your car or truck and stay buckled up.

Dense fog usually doesn’t last a long time. The fog may not completely subside, but stopping for a while should buy you some time and allow the fog to lift a bit. Dense fog tends to migrate from area to area, unless you are in a valley where fog tends to settle. If the fog just gets worse while you are parked, stay put. It’s not worth jeopardizing your life to carry on. But never forget, when traveling in fog, stopping on the shoulder of the road must be a last resort !

Heavy Fog Doesn’t Last Long

Under most “normal” weather conditions, dense fog is temporary. Typically, you will come across small patches of dense fog on mountain valleys, peaks, near wet open fields, and near bodies of water such as streams, rivers, and lakes. Whenever the atmosphere is especially humid, you might even get patches of fog that seem to roll from one place to another. In the worst conditions, generally taking place at night or in early morning hours, the fog may be very dense and cover a span of many miles. This is the most unsafe condition and is often alerted by fog advisories or warnings from the National Weather Service. When fog warnings or advisories are issued, simply don’t drive (this is particularly true in fog warnings). It doesn’t matter how good you and the other drivers on the roadway are, if you can’t see, you can’t possibly drive safely.

If you do end up having a Saint Louis auto accident in foggy conditions, think about taking your vehicle to Car Craft Auto Body. They serve men and women all around Saint Louis, Oakville, Chesterfield, and Bridgeton, Missouri with high quality auto body repairs.