Traffic police warn drivers and pedestrians: fog on the road

Drivers and pedestrians are advised to observe the utmost caution on the road, motorists - to refuse for a while from long journeys.

As added to the UGAI Department of Internal Affairs of the Minsk Regional Executive Committee, at the moment a heavy fog has formed practically throughout the entire Minsk region. Visibility on selected sections of roads is 150-200 m. Unsatisfactory weather and road conditions will continue in the next day.

In the traffic, police say "According to statistics, two-thirds of accidents during fog are raids on vehicles moving ahead. This is primarily due to incorrect estimation of the distance between cars and non-observance of a safe distance. The main danger of fog is the distortion of the distance to both moving and stationary objects. In dense fog, it seems twice as large as it actually is. All objects under such weather conditions lose their shape, which makes it difficult to determine their true size.‘’

"The reason for the collisions in conditions of limited visibility is banal: the drivers simply do not realize all the cunning and keep the speed too high," said Anna Banadyk, Senior Inspector for Special Assignments of the Traffic Police Directorate. "So if you fall into a strip of fog or heavy rain, immediately reduce speed and increase the distance, regardless of the condition of the road surface."

It is believed that the maximum permissible rate of speed is determined by visibility in the direction of motion. If you clearly see the road at a distance of 40–45 m, then the safe speed of the car is no more than 50 km / h. If visibility is three times less, then the safe speed should not exceed 25 km / h.

In all weather conditions with visibility restrictions, it is very important to maximize your presence on the road. First, you need to turn on the dipped headlights. In the fog, the light during the day makes the car visible from a distance of 120–130 m. A car with high beam on is visible at a distance of up to 200 m. At the same time, during the daytime, the headlights will not have a blinding effect.

However, at night, the high beam in combination with fog will create an impenetrable white wall in front of the car. Therefore, with the onset of dusk should go to the dazzle or turn on the fog. At night, the help of the latter is more effective than all other devices.

In general, the traffic police recommends motorists to drive in conditions of limited visibility with extreme caution, not to exceed the speed, not to violate the rules of overtaking, to observe the distance. In the case of a forced stop, you must park as far as possible from the roadway, turn on the alarm, and when leaving the vehicle wear a high visibility vest. Pedestrians, cyclists and horse-drawn carriages should also take extra care, use flickers and reflective vests with retro-reflective fabrics.