Tips for Driving in Fog

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 23073, 25 June 1938, Page 12 (Supplement)

Tips for Driving in Fog

The difficulties of driving through a thick fog or ground mist were strongly brought home to Auckland motorists during a recent week-end, and it was surprising to meet so many owners who had not the slightest knowledge of dealing with this danger. Although really heavy fogs are rare in the city, they do occur fairly frequently in the Waikato, and it is the duty of all motorists to liavo at least some knowledge of the best method to adopt. If tli-e fog is impenetrable, it is obvious that tlie plan to adopt is to stop the car until it has lifted, but il the car must be kept moving, it is advisable to send a passenger ahead to pick-out the road l , while the car is being driven at a walking pace. When fog or mist is fairly heavy, but gives a few yards of visibility, progress at a very slow pace is possible. It will bo found, however, that headlights on a high beam aro useless as" they merely throw the glare back to the driver's eyes. It is much better to switch on to the dippers which keep the glare away from eye level, but illuminate the road for a few yards. In addition, the beam is wider and allows the left hand kerb to be picked out. Some drivers hold that it is better to use squares of yellow silk tied over the headlights, thus allowing the beams to travel further into the log than those of the naked light. Special fog lights with an orange lens, and directing the beam toward the near side kerb, are often fitted as standard equipment in England. If the windscreen is movable, it should be opened wide so that 110 glass comes between the driver's eves and the road. Because of the frequency of fogs in Great Britain, almost every English car possesses a movable windscreen. Where screens are fixed, the glass quickly "fogs" and every half mile or so, the car will have to be stopped so that the screen can be cleaned.

Driving in a fog is most dangerous, and drivers should exercise the greatest care. It is quito impossible sometimes to see another car until it bursts out of the fog a few yards away. Other traffic is not the only hazard. What may appear vaguely through the fog to be the line of the road, may be something else, a fence, or a fallen tree, and the risk of making a mistake and running off the road is ever present.