How to Follow a Vehicle When Driving in Foggy Weather?
2 Answers
When following a vehicle in foggy weather, pay close attention to the dynamics of the vehicle ahead, strictly control your speed, and appropriately increase the longitudinal safety distance from the vehicle in front. This is to prevent mistaking the tail lights of a parked vehicle ahead for those of a moving vehicle, which could lead to a collision due to following too closely. Precautions for driving in foggy weather are as follows: Maintain a relatively low speed: When driving in fog, strictly adhere to the speed limits set by traffic regulations and avoid driving too fast. The denser the fog, the shorter the visibility distance, and the lower the speed must be. Choose the outer lane if there are two lanes, and the middle lane if there are three lanes: Visibility is already poor in foggy weather, so when driving, if there are three lanes in one direction, it's better to stay in the middle of the road rather than on either side. Do not overtake blindly: If you notice a vehicle ahead parked on the right, do not overtake blindly, as it might be waiting for oncoming traffic to pass. When passing a parked vehicle on the roadside, make sure it has no intention of starting and there is no oncoming traffic before proceeding. Sound the horn at the appropriate time and pass at a low speed from the left.
When driving in foggy conditions, I always slow down first because heavy fog reduces visibility to just a few meters, making the car ahead appear blurry. I turn on both front and rear fog lights along with low beams, but never use high beams to avoid glare from reflection. I increase the following distance to at least twice the normal gap, ensuring enough space to brake if the car ahead stops suddenly. I keep a relaxed grip on the steering wheel to prevent tension-induced mistakes. In dense fog, other vehicles might make sudden turns, so I maintain a steady pace and avoid unnecessary overtaking or lane changes. Last winter, while driving to the outskirts, a car in front braked abruptly in thick fog—fortunately, I had left about 70-80 meters of distance and stopped in time. That experience taught me to always allow extra time in foggy conditions. Overall, the key to foggy driving is slowness and safety—don’t rush, and if visibility worsens, find a safe spot to pull over and wait.
