After the summer with lots of sunshine and dry roads, drivers slowly have to get used to more difficult weather and road conditions. This also includes fog.
Summer has finally passed and the golden autumn is still a long time coming. Instead, the weather is cloudy. Rain makes roads wet; in the morning and in the evening it will be light later and darker earlier and the first wafts of fog will appear. Now is the time to familiarize yourself with the dangers of fog.
Keep the windshield clean
Before you start driving, you should check that the headlights are clean; if necessary, they can be quickly wiped off with a cloth. It is recommended to do a light test in autumn. Many workshops offer this free of charge as part of the “light test” campaign. In this way, errors in the lighting are recognized and can be rectified. A well-cleaned windshield and an activated windscreen wiper also ensure good visibility. This should also still be functional. The wiper blades must remove the condensed mist droplets from the window without leaving streaks. If the wiper blades do not work satisfactorily, a replacement is due. The front window can be prevented from misting up from the inside by aligning the fan with it.
Many drivers are surprised every year by the poor visibility conditions caused by fog that appears more or less suddenly. It is therefore important to be particularly foresighted at this time of year. If you register cloudy haze from a distance, you can switch on the low beam in good time, reduce the speed and increase the distance to the person in front. The traffic radio also provides information about road sections that are affected by fog. These warnings should be taken seriously.
Daytime running lights are not sufficient in fog
If you unexpectedly find yourself in a fog bank, you should immediately reduce your speed and activate the low beam. Trusting the auto light is not a good idea. Since it reacts to differences in brightness, it often does not recognize obstructions such as fog or does not recognize them at all. Daytime running lights are not bright enough for difficult lighting conditions. Under no circumstances should you activate the high beam, because the fine water pearls reflect the light and also impair visibility. Instead, fog lights help - they can be used under a visibility of 150 meters. Switching on the rear fog lights, on the other hand, is only permitted when the visibility is less than 50 meters, otherwise you will blind the person behind.
Adjust pace
To make it easier to estimate the range of vision, drivers can use the delineator posts on the right-hand edge of the lane for orientation. If you are at the height of such a pillar and only the next two pillars are clearly visible, you have fallen below the 150 meter mark. If the visibility is below 150 meters, a maximum of 100 km / h is still considered an adjusted speed. If the next but one pillar is already in the mist, visibility is less than 100 meters. Here 80 km / h is still considered permissible. If the next pole is difficult or impossible to see, a maximum of 50 km / h is allowed.
Bridges are particularly dangerous. There the fog freezes particularly quickly in sub-zero temperatures and makes the roads slippery. Long journeys in fog are exhausting. At the latest when your eyes start to sting from staring into the smoke screen, you should take a break. As a pedestrian, it is best to make sure that other road users can clearly see you. Reflectors on clothing or a high-visibility vest are helpful.