Carrying forward with my previous column on care that pedestrians should take during fog, today I am going to talk about care that motorists should take during fog.

Have you ever considered just how visible your car is to other road users? Being conspicuous to others depends on many factors such as the colour of your car as well as the prevailing weather conditions and how light it is. If you aren't easily visible to others it creates all sorts of safety problems, which can put your life and others at risk. For instance, vehicles are more likely to pull out in front of you or turn right across your path at intersections.

Presently the fog situation in Delhi is not that bad. But in the times to come it will be worse which will only increase the number of accidents on the road. H.P.S. Virk, DCP (Traffic/Northern Range) says, “Due to fog and cold, the tendency of traffic movement is changing now. Here’s a heavy traffic flow during daytime instead of night. At night the number of pedestrians, two wheelers and cyclists is less. So this year, even though there was fog, the number of accidents hasn’t increased.”

Similar is the case with New Delhi range. DCP (Traffic/New Delhi Range) A.S. Cheema says, “accidents haven’t happened due to fog in Delhi right now.” But as it’s snowing heavily in the hills of North India, that’s why there’s cloud in Delhi sky. Once snowfall stops and sky is clean in North India, the cloud cover in Delhi will remove and thus fog will be dense.
So stay safe, and above all be careful, courteous, and considerate when using the roads. Follow the rules given below in order to avoid accidents.

> BE SEEN - use your dipped headlights to make your car more visible to others (even in daylight they improve your safety).
> Keep your lights and indicators clean and in good working condition at all times.
> Make sure that your windscreen and windows are clean and clear, and that your washer systems have water in them.
> Reduce speed in bad weather or when visibility is poor.
>Watch out for pedestrians who may not have seen you.
> It is an offence to drive if your tail lamps are not working. So make sure your taillights are in working condition. During foggy days you should drive with both of your parking blinkers on. It is a great help for drivers who drive during foggy weather when the visibility reduces to five to 10 metres.