What lights should be turned on when driving in fog?
2 Answers
When driving in fog, you should promptly turn on the fog lights, hazard warning flashers, and headlights. Here are some safety precautions for driving in fog: 1. Turn on the fog lights in foggy conditions. The light waves from fog lights penetrate fog more easily and illuminate farther. When the fog is very thick, you can turn on the hazard warning flashers (double flashing lights) because yellow light has better penetration through fog. Remember not to use high beams, as their light waves will be reflected back by the fog, similar to shining on a vast white wall. 2. Use the horn for alerts when necessary. Since visibility is poor in fog, it's advisable to honk the horn at appropriate times when overtaking, turning, or encountering pedestrians to signal your presence. 3. Slow down and avoid sudden braking. First, reduce your speed. Foggy conditions impair visibility, and most vehicles are moving slowly. Driving too fast increases the risk of rear-end collisions. Additionally, slowing down helps prevent the need for sudden braking, which can be dangerous since judging distances is harder in fog, and sudden stops may lead to accidents with vehicles behind you. 4. Avoid reckless overtaking. Do not rush to overtake in foggy conditions, as low visibility makes it harder to assess the situation of the vehicle ahead. Especially in heavy fog, not only should you turn on the hazard warning flashers, but it's also best to maintain a safe distance and follow the vehicle in front. Only when you can clearly confirm the situation of the vehicle ahead should you honk and pass at a low speed.
I've been driving for twenty years, and whenever I encounter foggy conditions, I always turn on the front and rear fog lights immediately. The front fog lights, installed at the bumper position, emit low and wide-angle light that penetrates the fog to illuminate the nearby road without reflecting a blinding white glare like high beams do. The rear fog light is a bright red light that helps vehicles behind recognize my position and prevents rear-end collisions. Additionally, I insist on using low beams to assist with lighting but always turn off high beams because they reflect intensely in the fog, doubling the risk. It's essential to slow down and increase the following distance to twice the usual length so that I can react in time if anything unexpected happens. I learned a lesson once when I forgot to turn on the fog lights in heavy fog on the highway and nearly caused a rear-end collision—since then, I’ve never been careless again. Safe driving relies on these small details.
