Distance in the fog seems. Safety when driving in fog: highlights

You don't need to look at statistics to say with certainty that fog is one of the most dangerous weather conditions on the road. It is foolish to underestimate him, and any motorist in without fail need to know the safety rules of movement in conditions limited visibility. By following the recommendations in this article, you will minimize the possible Negative consequences driving in the fog.

We all know perfectly well that the speed of movement must be safe. In our case, it can be 10 and 5 km / h, up to a complete stop. In conditions of dense fog, when visibility does not exceed half a meter (and such fogs do happen), the most smart decision movement will stop. Remember: it is better to wait as long as necessary than not to be able to even regret your choice later.

When stopping on the highway, you need to snuggle as close as possible to its right edge, and if possible, pull over to the side of the road. Regardless of the time of day, be sure to turn on alarm or sidelights - to indicate a parked car.

If you decide to continue driving, do not forget that in the fog it is impossible to even approximately determine the distance to cars. 50 or 500 meters - in foggy conditions it is impossible to distinguish. Also, the perception of the speed of cars going towards or in front of you is distorted. That is why the rules traffic Overtaking is prohibited during fog. Don't blindly trust rear lights ahead of you. First, keep your distance. Fog reduces the grip of tires on the road, as a result - increases braking distances. Secondly, it is better to navigate not according to the car in front, but still along the roadway. Because if he flies off the road, you will follow him.

Try to hold on right side roads. Before changing lanes or turning back, apply sound signal- this will warn other participants in the DD about your intention.

Driving in the fog gets tiresome very quickly. At the first sign of fatigue, stop the car, close your eyes and rest. Continue driving only when fully recovered.

Regarding the headlights - it is much safer to use the dipped beam. High beam - illuminates the road no better, but creates a white wall in front of your eyes, from which your eyes quickly get tired. The best option there will be fog lights. They allow you to see the road better using the fog feature. The fact is that the fog spreads several centimeters above the ground, leaving a small gap above the road. Properly adjusted fog lamps can produce positive effect, however, not always.

In motion, be guided by the right edge of the car and the roadway, it should be well lit by the light of your headlights. However, do not drive off the road to the side of the road - it is quite dangerous. Trees, road poles and other objects along the edge of the road can be used as landmarks for movement.

As you can see, in conditions of limited visibility, your driving experience or brand of car does not matter, everything depends solely on the degree of your responsibility.

Danger. The main danger posed by the fog is bad review. It happens that because of him the driver does not see further than 20-30 meters in front of him.

An unfavorable role is also played by the fact that driving distance in fog seems to be more than it really is. This is due to the fact that the distance to objects is related to the thickness of the air layer, which creates a hazy effect. Usually, the farther the object is, the thicker the layer of air between it and the observer, and the more vague the outlines of the object. Because of the fog, the same feeling is created - that there is a thick layer of air between you and the object, that is, a large distance. This leads to an incorrect assessment of the distance in particular and the situation in general. For example, it may seem to the driver that the car on the side of the road is moving, but in fact it is standing still.

Another danger is fogging of glasses. As a rule, this occurs in cool and damp weather. The difference between the air temperatures in the street and in the cabin provokes the formation of condensation on the windows, which further reduces visibility on the road. At negative temperatures, the smallest drops of water contained in the fog can crystallize into ice floes and even fall onto the road surface, forming icy conditions.

Typical mistakes. Most often, when visibility on the road deteriorates sharply, the driver instinctively turns on all lighting fixtures. This is what motorists do, for example, when dark time days leave from locality on an unlit section of the road. However, for example, if you suddenly get into a strip of fog, such a technique will not be useful, and even harmful. Included high beam headlight as if rests on the smallest drops of water. As a result, the driver sees only a milky-white wall a few meters in front of him.

Inexperienced car owners are sometimes unable to correctly assess the distance to the vehicle in front and their own stopping distance if they need to brake urgently. In fog and other conditions of limited visibility, such an error can result in a serious accident, as the distance to objects seems to be greater. Whatever happens, in any situation, our field assistance specialists on the roads of Moscow will come and provide the necessary assistance.

Safely. First of all when driving in fog The driver must keep a distance from the vehicle in front. It should be one and a half to two times more than in normal conditions. own speed it is worth maintaining 10-20 km / h below the maximum allowed on such a section of the road. And in one of the following chapters, it will be possible to find out the features of driving at night - how not to sleep at the wheel at night and what to do if you want to sleep at the wheel, is it possible to take pills so as not to sleep at the wheel.

Never turn on high beams in fog: this can lead to the fact that you can not see anything in front of you and make a mistake with the choice of direction of movement. This can end with a trip to oncoming lane or congress into a ditch. Use fog lights. If they are installed and properly adjusted, their beams of light are below the fog layer and illuminate the road well. Don't forget to include the rear fog lights: Their light is much brighter than side lights. Thus, you will protect yourself as much as possible from a collision from behind.

Another tip experienced drivers about the fact how to drive in the fog: try to predict the development of the traffic situation as much as possible. For example, when overtaking a car in foggy conditions and having caught up with it, be prepared for the driver to suddenly see an obstacle that has appeared on the road, try to avoid a collision and turn sharply to the left, that is, in your direction. If you are changing lane back in the immediate vicinity of the vehicle you overtook, you can give a short signal to once again warn a colleague about the imminent appearance in front of him.

If you have to for a long time to drive in the fog behind any car, its marker lights will serve as a good guide for you. The direction of their movement tells about the turn, and the change in the distance between them - the distance. Focusing on the road, use the markings: they are clearly visible under a layer of fog. However, do not get too close to the solid line markings that define the edge of the carriageway, as pedestrians, cyclists or parked cars may be on the side of the road.

Drivers often ask: how to drive in the fog if the windows fog up? To keep your car windows from fogging up, keep them open. If this does not help, try turning on the blower warm air windshield and side windows at low fan speed. You can also use air conditioning.

It must also be remembered that how to drive in the fog in frost. The point is that at sub-zero temperatures ice may appear on the road. Most often this happens in early spring or late autumn, when the roadway freezes, although the air remains above zero. Then it is necessary to apply smooth pedaling and stepped braking.

And one more thing ... The most important thing that is required from a driver in foggy conditions is increased attention to road conditions. Never be distracted by conversations with passengers. Try to pay less attention to actions that relate to driving: changing gears, turning on or off turn indicators, switching headlights, etc. It is even better if these actions are brought to automaticity.

Try to reduce the possibility of getting into a dense layer of fog. Every time before long trip Check the weather forecast for the area you are heading to. Sharp cooling or warming after heavy rains can cause fog, especially in lowlands or close to bodies of water and swamps.

The car belongs to vehicles heightened danger. The quality and safety of driving are of great importance weather conditions. At insufficient visibility in conditions of heavy rain, bright sun and thick even on an ideal track, an experienced motorist can get into an unpleasant situation.

Often in autumn morning hours, on mountain roads or late in the evening, you may encounter fog cloud formation on the roads. Such an atmospheric phenomenon can form near natural reservoirs. It significantly limits visibility, thereby significantly increasing the risk of various accidents.

According to statistics, most of the accidents in fog are collisions with the car in front. At the same time, it is impossible to reproach the drivers for not observing the required distance. They followed all the established safety measures when driving in fog, but could not avoid an accident.

Why this happens, what is the danger of this natural phenomenon for road users, and what recommendations exist for successfully overcoming the foggy section of the highway, we will consider in this article.

Why is fog dangerous?

With such an atmospheric phenomenon, a lot of water accumulates in the air. It consists of numerous particles of water vapor. At cold weather it may not dissipate for several days.

When driving in fog, the perception of many objects, colors is distorted, it is difficult to distinguish landmarks and road signs. They seem much further than they really are. Drivers should be aware that all colors are also distorted. yellow signal traffic lights will be perceived with a reddish tint, and green will become yellow. The only thing you can trust is the red color, it remains unchanged.

This information must be used when crossing an intersection controlled by a traffic light. It is in these areas that most collisions occur. Often they are of a chain nature, that is, several cars following one after another get into an accident at once.

Another danger for drivers is the misting of windows, which occurs due to the difference in temperatures inside the cabin and outside, as well as the settling of water droplets on the windows. This makes the situation even more dangerous.

In addition, it must be taken into account that the light from the headlights, when interacting with a foggy cloud, is scattered in the opposite direction, that is, towards the driver. This phenomenon in best case will create a milky-white curtain in front of the windshield, and at worst, blind the driver.

Fog driving safety

The meteorological service informs about the occurrence of thick fog on the roads in advance. This makes it possible to cancel the trip or to prepare more carefully for it.

1. Try to keep to the right side of the road. The marking lines (if they are visible) or the boundary of contact between the roadway and the shoulder can serve as a reference point.
2. Turning on the headlights, use the dipped beam. Given that when driving in fog, the distance between cars is difficult to determine accurately, then high beam you can just blind other motorists. In addition, the dipped beam is allowed to be used in conjunction with fog lamps.
3. Turn on your windshield wipers to prevent condensation
4. In order to reduce the fogging of the windows, use the ventilation or interior heating system.
5. Use your hearing. Sometimes it is by ear that you can determine how far other motorists are moving from you. To do this, keep the window ajar.
6. Driving in fog according to traffic rules provides for a maximum speed reduction and a ban on overtaking. The speed should be exactly half the distance that you can see. If visibility is 50 m, then you need to move at a speed of no more than 25 km / h.
7. If the vehicle is equipped with fog lamps, they can automatically turn on in situations where visibility is less than 50 m.
8. Follow the speedometer
9. To clarify the presence of transport ahead, use an audio and (or) light signal from time to time. This is especially true for country roads.
10. With visible road markings, take central position

In addition to advice, there are a number of prohibitive techniques that should not be resorted to in foggy conditions. Don't rely on light alone to determine distance rear lights the vehicle in front. Remember that light can scatter, and fog visually removes all objects, so you will have distorted information.

Do not drive close to the center dividing line. This may lead to the creation emergency. Overtaking and sudden braking are prohibited. Do not look for a long time at the same point. Eye strain will lead to eye fatigue, reduced vision and watery eyes.

Safety measures in case of fog on the road also provide for some driving features. The atmospheric phenomenon itself is not as dangerous as excessive faith in one's own experience and ability to cope with any situation.

Try not to let hard braking And sudden stops. If you need to stop, then do it slowly. To warn motorists following you, apply the brake several times. Before that, turn on the turn signal (right).

IN daytime to expand the visible part of the road, it would be more appropriate to use stronger main headlights. Use of special fog lights make your car more visible to other drivers.

There is one more feature when driving in fog, which many motorists forget or do not attach importance to. It lies in the fact that the road surface becomes wet and slippery due to the settling of water vapor. This makes the adhesion of the wheels to the asphalt surface weaker.

At night or on cold autumn days, moisture on the road can freeze and ice builds up. In such a situation, maximum caution and composure should be observed. Keep your eyes on the road and keep an eye on how the car behaves. If you have little driving experience, then in such conditions it is better to wait out bad weather conditions in the parking lot. Features of driving in the fog

Frequent companions of a mountain road are fogs, which can appear suddenly and stay for quite a long time. This is facilitated by a sharp change in temperature in the highlands.

It is very important to carry out a full and thorough check before a trip to the mountains. technical condition vehicle. Special attention need to work the engine. Prepare the cooling system. Care should also be taken to ensure that there are additional accessories like shovel, rope, anti-glare car visor or shields, driver sunglasses.

Adjust your speed according to the condition and tortuosity of the road. On steep slopes, use minimum speed. Turn on your fog lights when visibility is poor. Coasting on a serpentine is prohibited, especially if you are forced to move in fog.

When approaching a high area, give horns to oncoming vehicles. In the dark, you can attach a light alert. Special sites are created for stops near mountain roads, make stops only on them.

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Insufficient visibility is understood as a temporary situation caused by weather or other phenomena (fog, rain, snowfall, blizzard, twilight, smoke, dust, water and mud splashes, blinding sun), when the distance at which the object in question can be distinguished from the background is less than 300 meters .

These weather conditions have a significant impact on road safety.

During the rain

The main danger when driving in the rain is the deterioration of the adhesion of the wheels to the road. The coefficient of adhesion on wet roads decreases by 1.5–2 times, which worsens the stability of the car, and most importantly, the braking distance increases sharply. Particularly dangerous are asphalt roads covered with mud or wet fallen leaves, when the grip of the tires with the road is further reduced.

The rain that has just begun is dangerous, which makes the road surface very slippery, as dust, the smallest particles of tires, soot and oil particles from exhaust pipes cars are wetted and spread along the road, creating a very slippery, like soap, film on it. At the beginning of rain, you need to be especially careful, be sure to slow down, avoid overtaking, sharp steering wheel rotation and sudden braking. As the rain intensifies and continues, the muddy film is washed away by the rain, and with continued rain, the traction coefficient increases again. Concrete and asphalt pavements with a specially treated rough surface, washed out by rain, have a coefficient of adhesion close to that of a dry pavement.

After the rain stops, as the mud dries, it first turns into a dirty slippery film, and the coefficient of adhesion also decreases. Again, be careful before the road dries up. The dirt turns to dust and the friction coefficient is restored.

The dependence of the road adhesion coefficient on the duration of rain is shown in fig. 1

Figure 1. Dependence of the coefficient of adhesion with the road on the duration of rain:

• time t0 - t1 - beginning of rain;
• time t1 - t2 - rain duration;
• time t2 - t3 - drying time of the road.

When moving to high speed By wet road at cars a water wedge is observed between the tires and the road - hydroslip or the so-called hydroplaning. When driving on wet roads with low speed the wheels drive moisture into the grooves of the tire tread pattern and squeeze it out through the roughness of the road surface, the tires touch the drier road surface. If you are driving behind a car in the rain, you will see a dry track from the wheels right behind the car. At a high speed and a large amount of water on the road, the wheels do not have time to squeeze out moisture, and then water remains under them, the wheels float above the road surface. A sign of the appearance of a water wedge is a sudden ease in steering the steering wheel. Shallow tread depth, less than indicated above, low air pressure in the tires and a smooth road surface of an asphalt road contribute to the occurrence of hydroplaning even at low speeds, since the wheel does not have time to squeeze water out from under it.

To combat this phenomenon, you can only reduce the speed. In this situation, engine braking should be applied, i.e., gradually reduce the pressure on the gas pedal. At the same time, you should try not to use the service brakes, as water reduces their effectiveness.

Splashes of dirty water and liquid mud from under the wheels of oncoming and overtaking vehicles can instantly flood the windshield, and for some time you will not see anything ahead. Do not get lost in this situation and, most importantly, do not brake sharply, immediately turn on the washer and wiper with a high frequency of movement. Do not turn the steering wheel and gradually reduce the pressure on the gas pedal. After a few seconds, visibility will be restored.

It must be taken into account that when you drive through puddles at high speed, the following troubles are possible:

• sprinkle mud and even pour water from head to toe on pedestrians;
• water from under the wheels of your car will fall on the front glass and reduce visibility;
• water will also enter engine compartment, and even a few drops of water on the ignition coil, distributor or wires can turn off the engine;
• water entering the air intake can lead to engine damage;
• there can be various dangers under water: holes, stones, etc.;
• get wet brake pads and the brakes may fail.
• if the wheels on one side of the car fall into a puddle, then the car may skid, since the amount of adhesion of the tires to the road with different sides will not be the same.

Rain changes the appearance of the road surface. Light and dull when dry, the asphalt pavement becomes dark and shiny, and it is very difficult to notice a dark obstacle on such a road. Moving in these conditions, even if there are no obstacles, is tiring. The driver has the impression that he is rushing into a dark abyss, crossed by sparkles of raindrops sparkling in the headlights.

On the wet pavement white road markings becomes almost invisible during the day and completely invisible at night. It is the responsibility of the driver to be so careful in the rain as to make up for poor visibility, and to drive smoothly without sudden changes in direction, to choose a speed appropriate to the visibility, you can also turn on the front and rear fog lights, side glass raise to the limit.

In fog

Driving in foggy conditions requires more more experience than in the rain. Sometimes the fog is so heavy and creates such great danger that it is necessary to cut short the trip and wait patiently for a change in the weather. Fog creates dangerous road conditions. Dozens of cars are involved in an accident during fog, die and get injured a large number of of people.

Fog greatly reduces the visibility zone, contributes to optical illusion, and makes it difficult to navigate. It distorts the perception of the speed of vehicles and the distance to objects. It seems to you that the object is far away (for example, the headlights of an oncoming car), but in fact it is close. The speed of the car seems small to you, but in fact it is moving fast. Fog distorts the color of an object other than red. Therefore, the traffic signal is red so that it can be clearly seen in any weather, so red cars are considered less dangerous.

Fog affects the human psyche: poor visibility, constant pressure, the sudden appearance of another vehicle out of the fog, which seemed to be far away, causes severe nervous tension in the driver. He is nervous and makes incorrect driving actions. The eyes tire quickly and reduce the driver's ability to respond to changes traffic situation. Headlights do not illuminate the road at all, their light only crashes into the fog with bright blinding beams. In the fog, you can make a mistake in choosing the road, the landmarks are covered with fog, the intersections are not visible.

In the fog follows:

• reduce the speed of movement, it should not exceed half the visibility distance in meters. So, with a visibility of 20 m, it should be no more than 10 km / h;
• be prepared to stop within that line of sight of the road;
• you should drive with the dipped headlights, which illuminates the road better than the distant one;
• when driving with high beams, pass with oncoming traffic without switching to low beam, since blinding in the fog is excluded;
• if there are fog lights, turn them on together with the low beam in heavy fog. They have a low and wide beam of light yellow color, which penetrates the fog better than the white light of conventional headlights;
• if the visibility of the road is less than 50 m, they can turn on independently;
• rear fog lights to be switched on together with parking lights;
• turn on the windshield wipers;
• when the windows fog up, turn on the heating and ventilation system, as well as the electric heater rear window;
• in very heavy fog, you can try to see the road in front of the car by sticking your head out the door window;
• periodically you need to check your speed on the speedometer;
• to improve visibility in fog, lean over the steering wheel and bring your eyes closer to front glass. This position is very tiring, but periodically it must be used;
• in the presence of markings, take a central position between the marking lines separating the lanes;
• You can also navigate the road along the sidewalk, the roadside, and especially along the solid white marking line that marks the edge of the carriageway;
• it is better to keep the driver's door window open and listen to the noise of other vehicles;
• periodically use a sound signal, especially on a country road.

In the fog you should not:

• approaching too close to the vehicle ahead;
• use rear lights front car as a guide, you will have a false idea of ​​the distance and its speed;
• look in one place in front of the car - your eyes will quickly get tired, they will water and your eyesight will weaken;
• park the car on the road;
• move too close to the centerline, and you can create dangerous situation;
• trying to get past a strip of fog in a valley on the road. It is in this area that objects and people can be hidden by fog;
• trying to overtake the vehicle in front is risky and dangerous.

Fog is not so much a safety hazard, but the way you drive in fog.

blinding sun

The summer sun shining into the eyes tires the eyesight and reduces the concentration of attention, reduces visibility. In the evening, morning and winter, when the sun is low on the horizon, the light falls almost parallel to the road, the load on the eyes increases significantly. Moving against the sun is not only difficult, but sometimes dangerous. The road is very shiny, reflecting the rays of the sun, and the vehicles appear to be contrastingly black. Silhouettes of people are lost on the road in the glare of the sun's disk, as the pupils of our eyes constrict, limiting the amount of light transmitted into the eyes. Due to this, the visibility of objects in the shadow worsens.

If the road periodically passes through the shadow cast by roadside objects, then at the moment of entering the shadow, the driver experiences a sudden decrease in visibility. This is due to the fact that the pupils of our eyes require a certain amount of time to adjust to a sudden change in light intensity.

Driving a car when driving against low sun, both in full light and in dark areas, requires a significant increase in attention. In addition, when driving against the sun, the colors of traffic lights, brake lights and direction indicators of vehicles noticeably pale. As a result, they do not attract your attention as they should. And this affects security.

With the sun shining from behind, it is even more difficult to distinguish traffic signals, and all the rear lights of the vehicle shine with reflected light from the sun and do not tell which light is on and which is not. In this case, you need to move so that the shadow from your car falls on vehicle ahead. Then it will be much easier for you to observe his rear lights.

The low sun shining from the side is easier for the driver, although it also causes trouble, forming strong contrasts of shadows on the roadway.

In all these cases, you need to use a sun visor that restores the visibility of the road. However, it is not recommended to use dark glasses, as they limit the brightness of illuminated sections of the road and at the same time reduce the visibility of places and objects that are in the shade and therefore not noticeable enough.

Other weather events.

The road becomes especially dangerous during the first snowfall(photo 1), when compacted snow and the first ice appear on the roadway. At this time, the number of collisions with pedestrians increases sharply, because drivers and pedestrians have not yet had time to adapt to the changed traffic conditions.

Photo 1. Snowfall.

Due to the reagents used on the roads, a mud mess is formed, flying from under the wheels of the cars in front right on windshields riding behind. The result is a sharp deterioration in visibility. Always on wipers and huge expense Windshield washer fluid is not very helpful.

Visibility is deteriorating, the number of accidents is growing. And this is true for all cars without exception.

IN dusk and in the dark, visibility deteriorates significantly. Visibility on the road plays important role, since more than 90% of the information necessary for traffic safety, a person receives through vision. Human eyes are designed in such a way that they need time to get used to the darkness. Still, night vision is much worse than daytime. In poor lighting, at dusk, drivers do not distinguish very well what is happening on the road, moreover, their eyes do not distinguish colors well. For example, red appears dark and even black. Green color looks lighter than red. When approaching a traffic light, its signals appear white at first, and only later do we begin to distinguish colors. First of all, it becomes green, then yellow and red.

The worst thing is to drive in semi-darkness, when it just starts to dawn or get dark. It is difficult to see obstacles on the highway. At dusk, when long shadows make it difficult to distinguish individual items, high beam will help, although it seems not intense enough. It will not be enough to completely illuminate the highway, but it will allow you to notice an obstacle that suddenly appeared in front of the car.

The reaction time of the driver to an obstacle that occurs on the road in low visibility conditions increases by an average of 0.6 ... 0.7 s or more, which is explained by the need to spend time on recognizing this obstacle.

At night, at least the headlights help to see, but at dusk the headlights illuminate the road very poorly. At this time, nothing helps except slow down and increase alertness.