Drivers are being warned to follow five important rules as heavy fog blanketed the UK today. Many people across Britain today woke to mist and fog outside their homes.
On X, formerly known as Twitter, the Met Office provided five key tips for driving in the difficult conditions. Advice included following a two-second rule and making sure you do a certain thing with your windows.
The post read: “Be aware there is a lot of mist and fog this morning across England and Wales, as well as SW Scotland. Here are some tips for driving in fog, from our partners, to help keep everyone safe on the commute/school run.”
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Know how to use your fog lights
The Met Office said you should be familiar with how to use your front and rear fog lights, The Sun reports. Fog lights are designed to aid visibility in bad weather conditions when your ability to see the road ahead is reduced.
Front fog lights can cut through mist, fog, rain or dust as they are mounted lower down than headlights in the front of your vehicle. A button or switch for them can usually be found on your dashboard, on a steering wheel stalk, or next to the dial you use to control your regular lights.
The front fog light switch features a lamp pointing to the left, with lines pointing diagonally down through a vertical wavy line. Rear fog lights have a lamp facing the opposite direction, with lines pointing horizontally straight through the wavy line.
Do not use full beam lights
According to the Met Office, you should not use full beam lights during foggy weather. This can be hazardous as the fog reflects the light back.
When this happens, a driver’s visibility is reduced further.
Follow this two-second rule
When driving in difficult conditions, you should follow a two-second rule. According to the Met Office, keeping a two-second gap between yourself and the driver ahead allows you to maintain a safe distance.
You should allow the vehicle in front to pass a fixed object such as a lamp post or road sign then count to two seconds. If you reach two seconds before you pass the marker, it means you need to drop back.
You may even want to increase the gap to four seconds to help leave enough space between you and the car in front.
Open vents and set your heater to demist
You should make sure your heater is set to windscreen demisting and that you open all your vents. It is important that your windscreen is demisted before you set off otherwise it can impede your vision, meaning you will be driving illegally.
Start your heater off cold and then slowly increase the temperature as the air in the car dries out. Make sure to blast the air at your windscreen and windows to help clear water vapour.
If you car has a smart climate control systems, you may have a setting for demisting your windscreen.
Wind down your windows at junctions and crossroads
According to the Met Office, you should wind down your windows at junctions and crossroads if visibility is limited. Putting your windows down can help you safely navigate junctions and crossroads.
By winding them down, you can listen out for approaching traffic in order to help prevent any collisions.