What to do if there is thick fog on the roads
Official updatesLU-Alert · RTL, 100.7 · 112
Do this now
- Put off the journey if you can. Wait for the fog to lift, choose another route or use other transport.
- Slow down if you are already driving, and leave a much bigger gap to the car in front than usual.
- Switch on dipped headlights, not full beam. Full beam bounces back off the fog and makes it harder to see.
- Use the hazard lights if you are going very slowly or traffic ahead has stopped, so drivers behind can see you.
- Keep the windscreen clear with the demister and wipers, and turn the music off so you can concentrate.
- 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.
- 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.