Fog can make it really difficult and dangerous when you’re out there driving on the road. At HomeTowne Auto Repair & Tire, we’re committed to keeping our customers safe, so we’ve put together some important tips to help you when you’re driving in fog.
- Slow down. It may be frustrating when you’re trying to get somewhere, but slowing down is one of the best ways to prevent incidents from occurring. When slowing down, you’re going to want to keep an eye on your speedometer to double check your speed, because thick fog has the ability to mask your speed, due to the fact that you’re not able to see objects around you.
- Turn on your low-beams. When it’s difficult to see, a lot of drivers have a default of turning on their high-beams, but that’s actually the opposite of what you want to do. The high-beams in foggy weather actually make it more difficult for you to see, because the illumination from the high-beams can reflect off of the fog and back to your vehicle.
- Use your fog-lights. Not all vehicles have them, but if you do have front fog-lights, it will make it easier to light up the road, and make your car more visible to other people driving on the road. If you have rear fog-lights, it’s also a good idea to turn them on because it allows drivers that are following behind you to see your vehicle more clearly.
- The right-side pavement line should be your guide. Especially when there’s thick fog in the air, the clear and thick white line painted on the right side of the road is going to be a huge guide for you as you’re driving. You might be tempted to use the pavement lines in the center of the road, but they are more difficult to see, and it can lead to accidents if other drivers can’t see as clearly and veer toward the center.
- Don’t stop. If you’re having difficulty seeing while driving in the fog, you may be inclined to want to drive very slowly, or even stop in the road. But when it’s driving in fog, you should not be stopping on the road at all. If you absolutely have to, what you need to do is find a safe area to pull over away from traffic, and then turn off your lights. If you pull over and leave your lights on, drivers could think that your lights show a travel lane, which could potentially lead to a collision.
Follow these tips and exercise caution on the road when there’s fog, and it will go a long way to help avoid a collision or incident.
HomeTowne Auto Repair & Tire is an authorized Michelin and BFGoodrich tire dealer located in Woodbridge, Virginia. Automotive repair services are performed on all makes and models, including oil changes, brakes, alignments, inspections, and computer engine diagnostics.