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What to do if there is thick fog on the roads

Official updatesLU-Alert · RTL, 100.7 · 112

Do this now

  1. Put off the journey if you can. Wait for the fog to lift, choose another route or use other transport.
  2. Slow down if you are already driving, and leave a much bigger gap to the car in front than usual.
  3. Switch on dipped headlights, not full beam. Full beam bounces back off the fog and makes it harder to see.
  4. Use the hazard lights if you are going very slowly or traffic ahead has stopped, so drivers behind can see you.
  5. Keep the windscreen clear with the demister and wipers, and turn the music off so you can concentrate.
  6. Pull right off the road if you cannot see well enough to carry on: a car park or another safe place, never a bend. Keep the hazard lights on and wait.
  7. Call Status: Verified after a crash if anyone is hurt. Put the hazard lights on and get everyone out on the side away from the traffic.

Before

Check before you go

  • Listen to the weather forecast and the traffic news on the radio before you leave. Allow extra time, or wait until later in the day.
  • Clean the headlights, rear lights and windscreen, and check that every bulb works.
  • Tell the people you are meeting that you may be late, so nobody is tempted to hurry.

Keep a kit in the car

  • A blanket, warm clothes, water, food bars, a wind-up torch, a first-aid kit and a phone charger.
  • A warning light or triangle, and road maps in case your phone loses signal.
  • Keep the tank at least Status: Verified full. A long wait in a queue uses fuel too.

Plan

  • Agree who collects the children if you are held up, and write it in your household plan.

After

  • Tell the people waiting for you that you have arrived.
  • If a crash or breakdown blocks the road and nobody is hurt, call the police on Status: Verified.
  • Restock the car kit: water, food, and anything from the first-aid kit you used.
  • If you were stuck on the road for a long time, Stuck away from home has more help.
  • In cold weather fog can leave ice on the road. If it does, read Snow, ice and extreme cold.

If you are…

Looking after children

  • If they walk to school, give them bright or reflective clothes, and remind them to cross only where drivers can see them, at a crossing or with lights.
  • In the car, keep them calm and quiet so the driver can concentrate.

Walking or cycling

  • Wear something bright or reflective, and use front and rear lights on the bike even in the daytime.
  • Keep off roads that have no pavement or cycle path if you can.

Older, ill, or living with a disability

  • If you depend on transport for treatment or care, call ahead on foggy mornings: drivers and carers may be late. Agree a plan for that with your carer or clinic.

With pets

  • Use a reflective collar or a lead with a light when you walk the dog, and keep it on the lead near roads.

Easy-read summary

  • Do not drive in thick fog if you can wait.
  • Use dipped headlights, not full beam.
  • Listen to the traffic news.
  • Tell people you will be late.
  • Call for help after a crash.