- Fog can make roads dangerous, so the safest choice is often to wait until it clears.
- If you have to drive, slow down, leave extra space and avoid distractions.
- Use low beams or fog lights, not high beams, and keep your windshield clear.
- Follow the road edge carefully, avoid sudden moves and pull over safely if visibility gets too poor.
How to Stay Safe While Driving in Fog
Did you know fog contributes to more than 38,700 crashes, about 600 deaths and more than 16,300 injuries in the U.S. each year?¹ This much is clear: Driving in fog can be dangerous, especially when visibility changes quickly. If you have to drive in foggy conditions, slowing down, using the right lights and leaving extra space can help improve safety. Check out these helpful tips to stay safe while driving in fog.
Key Takeaways
Avoid driving in fog if possible
Just how do you drive in fog? The best course of action is to wait for the fog to lift. Try to adjust your travel plans and stay off the road until the fog passes to keep yourself and others safe. Fog mostly appears early in the day, dissipating from the air and ground at sunrise. As the sun rises, the dawn’s increasing heat causes water droplets to mix out.² Ultimately, fog evaporates and visibility improves.
However, if it’s impossible to adjust your plans by waiting for the fog to clear, there are some precautions you can take.
Fog safety reminder: If visibility drops so much that you can’t clearly see the road edge, lane markings or the taillights ahead, the safest choice may be to pull off the road in a safe place and wait for conditions to improve.
Drive slowly in foggy weather
Speeding is dangerous – especially during foggy conditions. According to the National Weather Service, heavy fog limits your visibility to a quarter of a mile or less.³ You may not be able to see the car in front of you or find your next turn.
Even if you start out driving slowly, studies say drivers get acclimated to fog and naturally speed up.⁴ Try to avoid this habit. Instead, keep a watchful eye on your speedometer and drive at a slower speed. Here are reasons for speeding and how to avoid them:⁵
- Give yourself more time
Avoid running late by planning on giving yourself more travel time to reach your destination. If it’s foggy, the last thing you should do is rush.
- Mind the speedometer
It’s easy to lose track of the outside world and feel less constrained while driving. Regularly checking your speedometer as you’re driving is essential. In addition, regular maintenance ensures an accurate speedometer reading; be sure to have a professional check it occasionally.
Tip for foggy conditions: Driving in fog at night can be even more difficult because darkness reduces contrast and makes depth perception harder. During the day, watch for changing visibility near low-lying areas, bridges and water. At night, slow down even more and look for reflective lane markers to help guide you.
Avoid driving distractions
Stay focused while driving in fog. Car accidents happen in seconds, so pay close attention to your surroundings. Here’s how you keep better focus on the road:⁶
- Set your cellphone to “Do not disturb” for texts/calls or switch it to airplane mode.
- Preset your favorite radio stations so they’re easy to access.
- Set the GPS before you start driving.
- Avoid eating or other tasks while driving; complete them before or after your ride.
Fog is enough of a distraction. You need to be 100% focused to drive through it safely.
Want to learn more about distracted driving? Read “Facts and Statistics About Distracted Driving”.
Use the low beams or fog lights
It’s natural to turn on the high beams when there’s low visibility on the road. But that’s actually one of the worst things to do in heavy fog. The light from high beams reflects on the water drops and causes a glare, worsening your visibility.⁷
Use low beams or fog lights in this situation. Fog lights are placed lower than most headlights and are designed to illuminate a wider space across the road, rather than vertically.⁸
How do you use fog lights? Turn them on only if visibility is poor enough to need extra low-level lighting. In most cars, fog lights are meant to supplement your low beams – not replace them.
If your car is like most vehicles, you’ll probably rely on your low beams. Fortunately, car headlights have come a long way in recent years. Keep up maintenance on your lights to guarantee the best possible visibility. It can also help to review “Car Headlights Explained: The Best Tips to Know Now” before driving in foggy conditions.
Car headline settings chart
| Light setting | When to use it in fog | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Low beams | Best choice in most foggy conditions | Helps you see the road while reducing glare compared with high beams |
| Fog lights | When visibility is limited | Mounted low to help light the road surface under the fog |
| High beams | Avoid in fog | Can reflect off moisture and make visibility worse |
| Hazard lights | Generally for emergencies or when stopped in a safe place | Can help others notice your vehicle, but should not replace normal driving lights |
Rely on the defroster and windshield wipers in fog
Foggy weather creates the perfect conditions for condensation on your windshield, too. It happens when water in the air hits a surface that is cooler than the air temperature. Water vapor then condenses on the surface. If your windshield is cooler than the outside temperature, you may get water on the outside of your windshield. When moist air from your breath and clothes is on the inside of your car, it can fog the inside of your windshield.⁹
To combat these visibility issues, use your defroster and windshield wipers properly. Here are a few tips:
Defroster (to remove condensation inside the windshield):⁹
- Use cold air when turning on the defroster to cool down the temperature inside the car and reduce moisture.
- Turn on the AC to lower the temperature.
Windshield wipers (to remove condensation outside the windshield):¹⁰
- Replace your windshield wipers every six to 12 months, or as soon as they wear out.
- Adjust the wipers to an appropriate speed. In fog, this would be intermittent or slow – enough to remove condensation.
Always keep these car features in good working condition. Fog can creep up quickly, so it’s especially important to use them in a pinch.
Keep a safe distance from other cars
While driving, keep a safe distance from other cars, bicycles and pedestrians on the road. Also limit your movements as much as possible. For example, try not to change lanes, pass other drivers or take unnecessary turns. Do what’s necessary to safely reach your destination. Any other activity puts you at a high risk for colliding with another car.⁴
Tip for foggy conditions: Use the vehicle ahead only as a reference point – not as a pace car. If that driver is moving too fast for conditions, following too closely can leave you with less time to react.
Use the right-side lines as a guide
In foggy conditions, it’s difficult to see the center of the road. Instead, use the right side of the road as your guide. It can help you drive in line and avoid drifting into another lane. Remember, driving in fog is nerve-wracking. Remain calm and focused.
This can be especially helpful at night, when lane markings may be harder to see. If visibility is too poor to safely follow the road edge, it may be time to leave the roadway and wait until the fog clears.
If needed, use the hazard lights
Sometimes fog is so dense that you need to pull over to a safe location. Avoid stopping in the middle of the road, as it increases the chance of someone rear-ending your vehicle. Instead, turn on your hazard lights and slowly navigate to a safe location to pull over. Then, wait out the fog until it’s safe to head back onto the road.⁷
If you do need to stop: Choose a parking lot, rest area or shoulder that is well away from moving traffic. If fog leads to a breakdown or another roadside problem, “What to Do if Your Car Breaks Down: A Step-by-Step Guide” can help you think through your next steps.
Here’s the takeaway: Safely driving in fog is possible with some visibility and by following these tips. Stay calm, cool and collected along the way. Even though you can’t control fog, you can control your travel schedule, speed and extra precautions. It’s worth taking extra time to stay focused — or, better yet, wait until conditions improve.
Need more all-weather safety guidance? Read “Safety Tips to Conquer Driving in Rain” and “Navigating Winter Roads: Tips for Driving in the Snow”.
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FAQs about driving in fog
It can be dangerous to drive in fog. Fog reduces visibility and can make it harder to judge distance, speed and road position. The risk can increase when drivers use the wrong lights, follow too closely or keep driving when they can’t see far enough ahead.
Slow down, use low beams, keep a greater following distance and watch the right-side edge line or reflective lane markers. Nighttime fog can make contrast worse, so give yourself more time to react.
If your vehicle has fog lights, use them with your low beams when visibility is poor. They’re designed to help light the road surface under the fog. They should not replace your regular headlights.
Low beams are usually the best choice for driving in foggy conditions. Fog lights can help if your vehicle has them. Avoid high beams because they can reflect off water droplets and reduce visibility.
Hazard lights are generally best reserved for emergencies or when you’re stopped in a safe place and are not necessarily needed when you are driving in fog. Follow local laws and use normal headlights while driving so other drivers can better judge your movement.
https://www.nhtsa.gov/risky-driving/speeding
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