Driving Safety Tips - Driving In Fog And Strong Winds

Driving Safety Tips – Driving In Fog And Strong Winds

Driving in fog and strong winds

Driving in fog reduces your visibility enormously, and therefore it can be extremely dangerous. There are a number of precautions you can take to help keep you safer in foggy conditions:

Reduce your speed – By reducing your speed you will be more alert and aware of your surroundings. You will also be less likely to collide with other cars.

Headlights – These should be dipped at all times.

Fog lights– Ensure you know how to use your fog lights correctly before setting out. The Highway Code states that “you must use headlights when visibility is less than 100 metres”. Make sure your fog lights work correctly and use them accordingly!

Leave extra space between you and the vehicle in front – This will increase your stopping distance.

Wind down windows – Sometimes it helps to be able to listen for oncoming traffic, especially if visibility is limited. This is advisable at junctions and crossroads. If conditions are really severe, it is recommended that you cease driving until conditions improve.

Another dangerous element to drive in is wind – which has been predicted to be bad this year in the UK due to the ‘weather bomb’ (see video). When the wind is strong it can make driving increasingly difficult. It is advisable to avoid driving on high, exposed bridges and to be extra wary of bicycles, anyone towing (or carrying something on their roof) and debris on the road.

Here are some other useful tips when driving in strong wind:

Drive slowly – As with driving in fog, driving slowly not only increases your awareness and allows you to look for hazards, it also allows you to cope with strong winds. A strong gust can affect the brakes etc of a car (as it gets under the car) and driving can become increasingly difficult, so hold the steering wheel tightly!

Be prepared – Knowing your route and the safest way to drive is essential. As well as this you should also be prepared when driving in exposed, clear areas as gusts of wind is more likely to affect you.

Only overtake when necessary– Overtaking becomes more dangerous in windy conditions and should only be done when necessary. When overtaking be wary of trailers and large vehicles as these are the most dangerous in such conditions.

Give room– Allow for extra space between you and the car in front and give extra room for vehicles, particularly bicycles, vans, lorries, trucks, trailers and buses.

Be vigilant- Keep an eye on what is going on around you (this will be easier to do if you are driving slower), if you see an unsteady vehicle KEEP CLEAR.

We have also covered preparing your vehicle, driving in snow and driving on ice and in hail. Stay safe this winter!

Paul Randall

2024-03-14

First Class! Dave and the team are fantastic. The fit on our first Mobile Bike Service and Repair Van could not be any better. From the very beginning, through the design process, all the way to completion I cannot fault a single thing. As I write this, our second van is being fitted to exactly the same specification and the third van is on the way. Long may this partnership continue!

Tim Lees

2024-02-20

Very helpful and patient with an older guy who was a bit nervous ordering from a company I didn't know. The product I wanted wasn't on their website but I thought it worth asking and they had it at a good price. It came the next day and worked perfectly.

Richard Shepherd

2024-01-17

I highly recommend Lee, Dave and the Team at Vehicle Accessories after they did a fantastic job for a one off bespoke van fit for my business. I approached them with a rather radical high concept idea, Dave did a great job taking notes from my extensive brief. He made a great effort to listen and take notes along the way making sure he understood and made suggestions for materials which really led to a much better end product. A particular highlight was a suggestion for them to fabricate a wall mounted Steal Mesh cage system for my equipment which far exceeded my expectations of quality and engineering. During the planning stage and construction suggestions were made to change materials and systems for what they thought would work better for the project as it developed. The end product was perfect and done to a very high standard, it really turned out better than I ever hoped for. Communication throughout was excellent with regular updates, fast responses and easy dialogue when confirming details or discussing changes. Changes were managed quickly and efficiently throughout the build with a great deal of flexibility and professionalism. Even though I was just having just one bespoke build being done for myself I felt highly valued as a customer and treated with the same level of respect and attentiveness as someone ordering a fleet. The quality of work and customer service will certainly mean I’ll be coming back for my next van project.

Philip Taylor Ashby

2023-12-26

Lee and his helpful staff sorted my lock problem that made it easy to break in or steal and at there Christmas closing time🙏, friendly helpful and reasonable thank you all.

Mark Elliott

2023-05-23

Great choice of equipment to fit and all done efficiently. They have designed and fitted racking to 75 vehicle for us in the last year.

Ross Thomson

2023-05-20

I can’t recommend Lee and his team of wizards enough. They fitted the gas with all the safety requirements and modified / adapted several parts of the electrics. They went above and beyond my expectations - I won’t hesitate to use them again.

Andrew Young

2023-04-13

What can say.... the order process was simple, prices competitive and when it was realised that I had ordered 2 incompatible parts I got a call to check and recify the order. Collection was easy and the install team did a quick, neat job. Job done....until next time thank you

Annie Meadows

2023-02-28

Dave, Lee and the team at VA moved crates from my old van to a new one. Easy to communicate with, quick turn around, met all my requests, made good suggestions (such as putting in a waterproof floor) and did an excellent job. Highly recommend.

miles leech

2022-12-22

Big thanks to Dave and the rest of the Vehicle Accessories team. They've done a great job fitting security locks and a floor in my new van. They also moved over my racking and interior lights from my previous van while going out of there way to make it all fit. Excellent service, very efficient and professional. Highly recommended and nice people to deal with. Thanks Miles Ashton Gas