Development and Property Services
Roads and Transportation
ADVICE FOR ROAD USERS
Driving In Fog
For years now we've had publicity on drinking and driving, hand in hand
with breathalysing and blood alcohol checks. Currently the emphasis is
on speed, along with speed cameras and engineering measures to slow vehicles
down. These campaigns have been very successful - drink/drive deaths are
down from 1200 per year to 300 and overall speeds are dropping fast. Unfortunately
focussing on these two issues, major though they are, leads to us developing
blind spots about other problems - cyclists, seatbelts and so on.
Fog is one of these and it is unfortunate we aren't looking more closely
at it. There aren't that many accidents when its foggy as opposed to when
its raining or when its a fine day but as soon as you link these to the
number of days when its foggy, raining or fine you find that you are dozens
of times more at risk. In fact it is not putting it too strongly to say
that if you do run into fog you are in serious danger. Everything about
fog is wrong - you cant do a thing, there's a fog code which everybody
knows but not everyone obeys, and if an accident happens it could be a
pile up with dozens of vehicles crashing into each other and no way to
avoid it.
No one is really quite sure what goes wrong in fog. Why do people drive
at 60 mph as if there's nothing in front of them. Is it because they become
disorientated with no visual clues to let them assess their speed? Or
are they assuming that because they can see other people driving fast
they become frightened that they'll be rammed from behind. Even a person
driving slowly according to the fog code will be pressured into speeding
up when they see cars zooming past them.
What is needed is some research to come up with answers - what happens
when we drive into fog, why do we end up with one lot of drivers following
the fog code and the other drivers not obeying it - which is a bit like
traffic lights where one lot of drivers obey the rules and drive through
on the green light and the others disobey the rules and drive through
on the red light.
So what can we do if we do hit fog. Clearly we should obey the fog code
but my own personal view is that there is a problem because not everyone
is using the code - the pile up happens when a fast-moving vehicle hits
a slow moving vehicle i.e. the person obeying the code. It may need legislation
so that you must drive at say 10 mph. With modern speed cameras it would
not be too difficult to deploy these and there's nothing like a fine to
make people drop their speed. Until that happens or we all have cars with
infra-red imaging systems my priorities would be 1) don't travel if there's
fog about 2) if you do get caught in fog move to a quieter road and find
a safe place to park 3) use the fog code and resist the temptation to
increase your speed. And in case you don't know your fog code, here it
is from the Highway Code:
Before driving in fog, consider if your journey is essential. If it is,
allow extra time. Make sure your windscreen, windows and lights are clean
and that all your lights (including brake lights) are working.
When driving in fog:
See and be seen. If you cannot see clearly use dipped headlights.
Use front or rear fog lights if visibility is seriously reduced (see Rule
133) but switch them off when visibility improves. Use your windscreen
wipers and demisters.
Check your mirrors and slow down. Keep a safe distance behind
the vehicle in front. You should always be able to pull up within the
distance you can see clearly.
Do not hang on to the tail lights of the vehicle in front: it
gives a false sense of security. In thick fog, if you can see the vehicle
in front you are probably too close unless you are travelling very slowly.
Be aware of your speed. You may be going much faster than you
think. Do not accelerate to get away from a vehicle which is too close
behind you. When you slow down, use your brakes so that your brake lights
warn drivers behind you.
When the word 'Fog' is shown on a roadside signal but the road appears
to be clear, be prepared for a bank of fog or drifting smoke ahead. Fog
can drift rapidly and is often patchy. Even if it seems to be clearing,
you can suddenly find yourself back in thick fog.
On a lighter note, with modern cars we've all but forgotten the fog horn
which of course was for use in fog. And in London, back in the 1930's
they tied blow lamps to traffic lights in the fog partly to burn it away
and partly for drivers to see.
Fog Lights
Many drivers think nothing of driving with their front fog lights on
when in fact by doing so they are committing an offence and could be liable
to a £20 fine. You are only allowed to use front and rear foglights in
fog where visibility is 100 metres or less. The lights are almost as powerful
as full beam headlights and can dazzle other drivers
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