Driving in fog. What lights to use? What penalty can you get?

When there is thick fog on the road, it is important to drive slowly and maintain a greater distance between vehicles. These are not the only rules we must follow.

When visibility is significantly reduced by fog, smooth and predictable driving is essential. We must always adjust our speed to suit the prevailing conditions, even if that means we will be driving very slowly. Moreover, in fog, it is more difficult for many drivers to judge the speed at which other road users are moving. Therefore, we must also remember to keep a safe distance, especially when performing maneuvers.

The presence of fog does not always mean that we should turn on the fog lights. The rear fog lamps may only be used in very poor visibility (the contractual limit specified in the regulations is 50 m). Why is it so?

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In light fog, rear fog lights can blind the driver behind you. In addition, brake lights also become less visible, which can lead to late braking and collision. Turning on the fog lights makes sense when the transparency of the air is so low that the parking lights "sink" into the fog.

In conditions of very limited visibility, it is worth relying not only on sight, but also on hearing. Therefore, it is best to turn off the radio and in some situations, such as before a railroad crossing, roll down the windows and, if necessary, also turn off the engine to hear if anything is approaching. During the fog, you need to eliminate all distractions - even talking to passengers.

If we have to stop on the side of the road, park the car so that it is completely off the road and turn on the hazard warning lights. However, we should only use this solution when there is no other way out, such as in the event of a severe failure. It is better to wait with the stop until visibility improves or you can enter a safe parking lot.

It is worth remembering 5 rules for safe driving in the fog:

1. We will not use long lights - they are useful at night, but when it's foggy outside, the light will bounce off of it, worsening the already poor visibility.

2. Take your foot off the gas - excessive speed will not get us out of the foggy area faster.

3. If the conditions are too harsh, let's take a break – In very poor visibility, a good solution may be to pull over to the side of the road. However, we will stop so as not to endanger other road users - preferably in a bay or at a gas station.

4. We will not go directly behind the car in front - let's try to keep such a distance so that in case of unplanned accidents we have time to react. You should also remember to have adequate vehicle lighting so that other drivers can see us.

5. Let's not by heart - even if we walk the same path every day and are sure that we know it by heart, we will be especially careful. To focus on driving and hear what's going on around you, let's turn off the music.

The amount of fines for violation of warnings and traffic rules in conditions of reduced transparency of the air environment:

Perfect misdemeanor	Number of penalty points	Amount of the mandate
Failure by the driver of the vehicle to turn on the necessary lights while driving in conditions of reduced air transparency	2	PLN 200
Violation by the driver of a vehicle other than a motor vehicle of the prohibition to overtake other vehicles when driving in conditions of reduced air transparency and the obligation to use the shoulder, and if this is not possible, to drive as close as possible to the edge of the carriageway. road	-	PLN 100
Abuse of sound or light signals	-	PLN 100
Use of sound signals in built-up areas	-	PLN 100
Use of rear fog lamps with normal air transparency	2	PLN 100

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