People, you don’t need your hazard warning lights on, nor do you need to flip your lights to full beam when driving in fog, and no, the faster you go doesn’t necessarily mean that you’ll get out of the fog patches faster, thought that might lead you or someone else into an early grave.
Here are some guidelines when driving in low visibility courtesy of Ontario Transportation department (sorry nothing on the Ministry of Transport of Bahrain, they don’t seem to have a website even!)
DO:
Slow down gradually and drive at a speed that suits the conditions. Make sure the full lighting system of your vehicle is turned on. Use your low beam headlights. High beams reflect off the moisture droplets in the fog, making it harder to see. If you have fog lights on your vehicle, use them, in addition to your low beams. They could save your life. Be patient. Avoid passing, changing lanes and crossing traffic. Use pavement markings to help guide you. Use the right edge of the road as a guide, rather than the centre line. Increase your following distance. You will need extra distance to brake safely. Look and listen for any hazards that may be ahead. Reduce the distractions in your vehicle. For example, turn off the cell phone…your full attention is required. Watch for any electronically operated warning signs. Keep looking as far ahead as possible. Keep your windows and mirrors clean. Use your defroster and wipers to maximize your vision. If the fog is too dense to continue, pull completely off the road and try to position your vehicle in a protected area from other traffic. Turn on your emergency flashers.DON’T:
Don’t stop on the travelled portion of the road. You could become the first link in a chain-reaction collision. Don’t speed up suddenly, even if the fog seems to be clearing. You could find yourself suddenly back in fog. Don’t speed up to pass a vehicle moving slowly or to get away from a vehicle that is following too closely.REMEMBER:
Watch your speed. You may be going faster than you think. If so, reduce speed gradually. Leave a safe braking distance between you and the vehicle ahead. Remain calm and patient. Don’t pass other vehicles or speed up suddenly. Don’t stop on the road. If visibility is decreasing rapidly, pull off the road into a safe parking area and wait for the fog to lift. When visibility is reduced, use your low beam lights.Before you drive, and during your trip, check weather forecasts and road reports. If there is a weather warning or reports of poor visibility and driving conditions, delay your trip until conditions improve, if possible.
Comments
Driving in fog
we have a website for the traffic directorate. I have to say its quite good and comprehensive but it does not have driving guidelines. Last updated in 2000, explains why.
http://www.traffic.gov.bh/
Anon
Re: Driving in fog
Ah, thanks for the link. I think I’ll start a company, or just offer a service to maintain dormant government websites!
Driving in fog
Great article Mahmood, Our HaloweenHarry has been preparing a similar article!!! yet to be posted though! Anyways wanted to confirm that unfortunately we have some idiots who turn the hazard flashers on, this should be used when the car is STOPPED and facing an emergency situation, it’s to let others know that they should be careful, but the idiots we have use them when the double park and leave the car unattended, or when there is fog or heavy rain. WTF? And they use “fog” lights in broad daylight? Can’t we do something about that?
-LiB Team ([url]http://lifeinbahrain.blogspot.com[/url])
Driving in fog
So where were you that made you post this off the wall comment? I wasn’t aware that Bahrain was the fog capital of the world, heat haze yes, but fog no.
Re: Driving in fog
Oh we get our fair share Tony. My wife told me that visibility was less than 50 meters yesterday morning, and it must have been 150 meters or so this morning driving to work.
Driving in fog
Hmmm.. I have to say that I love the way that advice is given on that Ontario website. It’s like saying “here’s the perfect way to do it, if you prefer to be dumb and do otherwise then it’s your responsibility, thank you”. While in Bahrain it would go like “BE CAREFUL, BE FREE, BE… democratic!!??” 😛 (I couldn’t hold that back)
Actually, I really don’t know why the government doesn’t use email services, some do websites, lame ones, but never to be contacted by email. I study in the UK and I needed to contact the embassy here, so I went to the international office at my university to be embaressed by the international officer telling me that the embassy – for some reason – don’t do emails, only faxes…. there are some email addresses on their website but it seems that they are for “Display Purposes” only 😛
Hamad
Driving in fog
Hamad,
Spot of advice for you from an old fashioned old biddy.
This is how you send a fax:
First write down your message (doesn’t have to be writing paper, an old pair of knickers will do just as well). Check your spelling and grammar though, no-one wants to be assassinated by some ignorant scrote.
Second, tie your message to delivery (half brick) medium with some string or a short length of washing line. (Warning: DO NOT USE PERISHED ELASTIC from afore-mentioned knickers . It has already let the human race down once, why give it another shot at us?. )
Third, choose a window in the Embassy within easy reach of the spectacularly talented spin bowler, that you probably aren’t.
Fourth, use classical surveillance methods to establish that none of the occupants are rather pretty young ladies you might wish to take to the pictures, or even just the chip shop.
Five: Bombs away, and mind you don’t put your shoulder out. You need to perfect the action.
Six: Go spooning with one of those bonny lasses you deferred from throwing bricks at.
Seven: Oh do stop making sheeps eyes at each-other over the prawn salad and just get married will you?
Eight: Five bairns in six years? OK, whatever…
Nine: Back to the chip shop, well it comes to us all in the end. But Lordy Lordy how the price of chips has gone ballistic. When I was a kid, you could get a bag of chips for a sixpence.
And that is how you send a fax…
Ten: Toodle Pip…
Oh bugger!
Meggie
Driving in fog
About the Ministry of Transportation, they acutally do have a website http://www.transportation.gov.bh – But they are only concerned with Civil Aviation – and Public Transport (CARS) not Taxis or any other mode of transport. And a variety of other interesting things like Telecom Policy + Postal Services + Frequency Management.
So there you go. And yes …. Ofcourse it has never been updated except for once maybe. The only thing about is that you can order Stamps. Well, you have to fill in the form then Print it and THEN FAX IT once again!!! Yes, FAX. But you end up getting the Stamps – Just in case any of you missed the Formula One Stamps or something.
Re: Driving in fog
Maggie for some reason I always thought they were called bloomers rather than knickers. Goes to show you what a bikini kind of a guy knows.
billT
Re(1): Driving in fog
Last night I was driving from Sitra to Awali and the visibility could not have been more than 4 or 5 metres! It was really eery, I had to put on the windscreen wipers and there were puddles forming on the road!
I hope all the weather clears up before the Formula BMW next weekend and all the national day celebrations!
Driving in fog
I have driven late at night many a time down from the casinos at Lake Tahoe to Sacramento into the fog of the Central Valley, fog so thick I had to get out of the car to read the street signs. The fog in Ohio along the shore of Lake Erie is just as bad. That was when I was young and invulnerable. I know better now. Here is my advice for driving in fog: Don’t.
Get off the road, hole up in a motel until the fog burns off. You may be in a hurry to get somewhere but try to remember that you’ll never get there if you’re dead, which will also interfere with many of your other important plans. The fog hides dozens of kamikaze drivers with brains no bigger than a pea. Surrender the road to them.
When you turn on the TV the next day and watch the news about the fifty car pileup on the foggy freeway, you can have the last laugh.
Steve
Driving in fog
[quote]Use the right edge of the road as a guide[/quote]
But that’s where all the oncoming cars are! Man, am I glad we don’t get fog here that often. Being guided by the [b]wrong[/b] side of the road. Sounds dangerous.
=)
skribe
Re: Driving in fog
The reason they don’t do anything is because everyday.
30% of govt employees are out on sick leave
50% work 4 hours a day 3 days a week
Out of the remaining 20%, 70% are both Lazy & Incompetent, 10% are actually trying to achieve something & 20% are trying to undo those achievements.