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 The closing days of 1998 saw a long spell of dense fog enveloping Delhi for over 19 continuous days. The dense fog led to zero visibility, which in turn led to multiple accidents. In one case, 24 vehicles were involved in a series of accidents on the Nizammuddin Bridge in East Delhi on a single day. This chain of accidents left one dead and eight injured. This year, in September, dense fog led to a 63-vehicle pileup on a major highway in Canada and left at least seven people dead and several injured. The Delhi incident was perhaps a rare event but several parts of Europe and America are particularly prone to this phenomenon.
What leads to fog formation? What can be done to prevent or minimise such mishaps? Fog formation is a natural phenomenon that occurs when there is calm wind, high humidity and inversion. Fog generally tends to occur in winter when the heat of the sun is not sufficient to vapourise the fog and lift it.
When the ground temperature is much lower in relation to the air temperature,
moisture levels are between 60 to 70 per cent and absence of any air movement leads to formation of fog. Air pollution helps in making the fog dense. At times the fog is so thick that it leads to low or zero visibility which creates problems for the drivers.
 With drop in visibility, the congestion on the roads builds up and either leads to aggressive driving or the traffic comes to a stand still. Both are hazardous. Driving in fog can give a driver a feeling of insecurity and disorientation as the familiar landmarks are enveloped in the fog. At times the subconscious fear of being caught in such a situation leads the driver to speed up leading to disastrous consequences. The fear of ramming into a vehicle in the front or being rammed into by a vehicle behind also creates peculiarly dangerous situations. Fog also leads to optical illusions. Objects that are very close appear to be far off, thus leading to an error of judgement. Fog also makes the surroundings sound proof. Denser the fog, the more it absorbs sound. In short, fog and accidents are complementary to each other. What is required is SELF-DISCIPLINE.
It is a fact that we can't change nature but certainly we can take precautions to keep others and ourselves on the road safe when a fog builds up. The really safe way to keep safe in a fog is to keep off the road. At times, however this is just not possible, so the next golden rule is to reduce speed and to make use of the horn to make other vehicles aware of your presence. Try to maintain a speed at which you would not mind hitting a vehicle ahead. While in fog use fog lights.
 These greatly enhances visibility in fog. The basic principle in fog should be to make you visible to all others on the road. Fog actually reduces the amount of light that can penetrate it. Full beam of the headlights should also be avoided. Fog can also change the colour of the lights visible. In a dense fog an amber light may appear to be white, white light may appear to be green while a green light may not be visible at all.
Tips to Remain Safe, in Fog, while Driving:
- Drive with dipper lights on and not on full beam.
- Follow the vehicle ahead but keep an adequate braking distance.
- If there is no vehicle ahead, drive very slowly.
- Don't overtake.
- Drive close to the road divider, keep an eye on the road markings and indicators.
- If your car has a defogger turn it on.
- Use wipers and screen wash to keep the windscreens clean.
- Keep the windows clean.
- Use the horn to make your presence felt by other drivers.
- Avoid taking roads that do not have functional streetlights.
- If you can, avoid driving in fog.
- Ensure that all lights are functional and all lamp glasses are clean.
- Keep one window open to prevent other windows misting up.
- Do not hesitate to stop and park if the fog is too thick.
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