The appearance of fog when driving your car on the motorway will place extra demands on your skills and abilities as a driver, because of the need to tailor your driving style to the prevailing conditions. In addition, you will find many other drivers are not making sufficient allowances for the conditions, which further increases the risk of potential accidents.

If the fog has been forecast to be particularly bad, then consider postponing your journey until it clears. Be aware that early morning motorway drivers are particular at risk of encountering fog, especially in the winter, and that when driving in such conditions the thickness of the fog will vary, and can be particularly thick in low lying ground or near bridges or dips.

The biggest major fault that many drivers have when they run into fog on the motorway is driving too close to the vehicle in front and driving too fast. Often a driver will mistakenly feel safer if they can see the rear lights of the car in front of them, and so will follow them too closely, without considering the effect on a safe stopping distance. Another effect of driving in fog is that a driver feels that they need to get through it as quickly as possible, and so subconsciously they speed up.

Both of these driving faults need to be guarded against when driving through fog when on the motorway. You need to set a pace that you feel is suitable for the visibility and conditions, and drive at a speed that allows you to stop safely within the distance that you can see clearly, even if this means that you lose sight of the rear lights of the vehicle in front. In such a situation you may feel pressurised by a driver who is tailgating dangerously behind you. Do not be forced into speeding up, simply let them past and continue safely on your journey.

When the fog reduces visibility below 100 meters you will need to switch on your front and rear fog lights, to improve visibility. However, avoid using your main beam headlight bulbs as the bright light can reflect off of the moisture within the fog, causing a white out effect, which will reduce even further your visibility. In addition, you should switch your windscreen wipers on to an intermittent setting, which will help to clear away the fine mist of moisture that will collect on your windscreen.

Driving in fog is extremely demanding especially on the motorway, where you are constantly straining to see the road and other vehicles ahead of you. Beware of the extra stress and fatigue this can place on you and so take regular breaks to help keep you alert and combat the tiredness.

Finally, once the visibility improves and the fog clears remember to switch off your fog lights. Leaving them on is not only a motoring offence, it can also be very annoying and distracting to other drivers, and leaving the rear fog light on can potentially mask your brake lights when they are illuminated.

Jo Alexander is an online, freelance journalist and keen windsurfer. Jo lives by the sea in Essex.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/automotive-articles/how-to-drive-your-car-safely-through-heavy-fog-on-the-motorway-875411.html