Yellow fog warning! Please pay attention when traveling →

According to the website of the Central Meteorological Observatory, this morning, heavy fog with visibility less than 1 km occurred in southern Shandong, Anhui, Jiangsu, Shanghai, northern Zhejiang, central and eastern Jiangxi, central Hubei, northern Hunan, northeastern Sichuan and along the Tianshan Mountains in Xinjiang. The visibility in some areas of southern Shandong, central and northern Anhui, western Jiangsu, northeastern Jiangxi and other places was less than 200 meters. The Central Meteorological Observatory continued to issue a yellow fog warning this morning.

In addition, diffusion conditions in southern North China, central and eastern Huanghuai, Jianghuai and other places will be poor today and tomorrow, with light to moderate haze.

Image source: China National Meteorological Administration

In foggy days, visibility is low, drivers’ vision is obstructed, and road accidents often occur. So when traveling, how to use fog lights and how to ensure driving safety?

01

Reasonable use of car lights

When driving in fog, if the road visibility is less than 200 meters, you need to turn on the fog lights, low beam lights, side marker lights and front and rear position lights. When the visibility is less than 100 meters, you also need to turn on the hazard warning lights. It should be noted that you cannot turn on the high beam lights in fog, because diffuse reflection will cause a white mass in front of your eyes, which is not conducive to observing the road conditions ahead.

When visibility is below 50 meters, drivers of vehicles that have entered the expressway must turn on fog lights and anti-glare low beam lights, width lights and tail lights as required, and drive out of the fog area while ensuring safety. The speed must not exceed 20 kilometers per hour.

02

Don't brake suddenly

Sudden braking can easily cause the driver of the vehicle behind to fail to react in time and cause a rear-end collision. If it happens on a highway, it is more likely to cause a chain rear-end collision.

If you need to brake, you can tap the brakes lightly continuously. First, it can control the speed of the car. Second, the taillights will light up when you brake, which can remind the vehicles behind you to keep a safe distance.

Foggy weather makes it difficult to observe the adjacent lanes and oncoming vehicles. Do not change lanes, overtake, or stop at will. Frequent honking can help other motor vehicles, non-motor vehicles, and pedestrians determine your position and more effectively prevent accidents. When you hear the horn of another vehicle, you should honk immediately to indicate your driving position.

03

Pay attention to the choice of driving route

When driving in fog, if it is a one-way three-lane road, try to drive in the middle lane; if it is a one-way two-lane road, try to drive in the outer lane.

04

Beware of fogged windows

In winter, when the temperature is low and the humidity is high, you can turn on the rear window defogger and rearview mirror defogger functions, and point the air outlet toward the front windshield to prevent fog from affecting your driving vision. In addition, you can use the wipers intermittently to scrape off the small water droplets condensed by fog on the windshield to improve your vision.

05

If you are stranded in heavy fog, wait until your vision is fully restored before driving again

When you encounter a dense fog area and do not have time to enter the nearest service area, you can park your car in a safe section of the road, such as a straight road or a relatively wide section of the road. Do not park your car on a curve or bridge, and turn on the fog lights, width lights, and tail lights. Leave after the dense fog dissipates or the visibility is restored.

In foggy weather, fog droplets generally float in the low-altitude near-ground layer, condensing various pollutants in the atmospheric environment, which not only affects traffic safety, but also poses great harm to the human body, making it easy to cause inflammations such as pharyngitis, tracheitis, conjunctivitis, and even induce diseases such as high blood pressure and cerebral hemorrhage.

It is recommended that you open windows as little as possible and go out less often. Wear a mask when you must go out. When walking outside, wear brightly colored clothes, such as orange, red, blue, etc., because people can only see very close in foggy weather, and bright colors are easy to be seen, which can reduce the occurrence of traffic accidents and ensure safety.

Please be careful in the fog!

Comprehensive sources: Xinhuanet, China Meteorological Administration, etc.