Six ways to stay safe when driving in foggy conditions

Snow, ice, and now fog. The UK has been hit by freezing weather conditions lately, but have you been staying safe on the roads?

With a Met Office yellow weather warning in place due to freezing fog, visibility has fallen below 200 metres.

The Met Office and National Highways warned drivers to avoid all travel if possible, but if you do need to make a journey in these conditions, you should follow these six tips.

Six tips to follow

1. Drive very slowly with dipped headlights – full-beam lights reflect off the fog causing a ‘white wall’ effect that reduces your visibility instead of improving it.
2. Keep an eye on your speed, fog can give the illusion of moving in slow motion.
3. Use fog lights, but remember to turn them off when the visibility improves.
4. Don’t hang on the tail lights of the car in front, rear lights can give a false sense of security.
5. Watch out for freezing fog which is made of water droplets that freeze on contact with objects such as the pavement and the road. It can quickly form a layer of ice.
6. Avoid travel if possible.

Danger on the roads

The icy blast has reportedly seen 40 flights cancelled from Heathrow, and temperatures have plummeted to -8C in some parts of the country.

Along with cold weather conditions, bus strikes – which are set to take place in London on 25 and 26 January – are also likely to increase the number of vehicles on the road.

The weather service added: “Freezing fog will lead to difficult driving conditions and could cause travel delays in some areas”.

All drivers should, as a result, take precautions.

Weather conditions are also likely to increase the number of potholes on our roads. Read more here.