Zero visibility - How to stay out of harm's way?
Pakistan
Fog significantly reduces visibility
LAHORE (Dunya News) - As winter peaks, several parts of the country face a blanket of fog which creates problems for motorists.
The fog significantly reduces visibility, especially in areas such as motorways and highways. At times the visibility is alarmingly reduced – something which is often called zero visibility.
WHAT IS ZERO VISIBILITY?
What, after all, is the phenomenon of zero visibility? And how can we protect ourselves and others from its impacts such as road accidents while travelling in fog?
Dunya News reached out to Motorway Superintendent Police (SP) Atif Shahzad to understand zero visibility and how to cope with it.
“Zero visibility means the condition in which a person becomes unable to look beyond 10 meters,” says Shahzad.
SAFETY PRECAUTIONS
He says “a vehicle should have perfectly working headlights and also fog lights.”
“White lights must not be used while travelling in dense fog. White lights reflect in the fog cover and create a shiny blanket which further reduces the visibility,” explains the SP.
SP Shahzad suggests that ‘yellow lights’ should be used while travelling in dense fog because they somewhat improve view during the lowest visibility.
Also Read: Sections of motorways closed due to dense fog
He also advises that vehicles should keep a distance of at least 10 meters while driving in fog. “And vehicles should be driven in groups while following one another. A solo vehicle or driver faces a great deal of difficulty in negotiating travel routes,” he says.
As for the importance of headlights in the fog, SP Shahzad says no doubt headlights are important for visibility but they should be used vigilantly. “One should keep headlights dim in low density of fog. Increased light intensity hardly helps visibility.”
“Drive slow, use screen-wipers and defoggers for a better view,” he advises drivers.
He further says that before setting out on journey in the dense fog one should check vehicle indicators, brakes and fuel.
“Keep extra bulbs in vehicles to replace the worn-out ones while travelling. They can be changed immediately,” he says.
According to the police officer, one should travel ideally between 10am and 6pm and avoid unnecessary commute in dense fog.
