Coping with fog, smoke in winter

The fog is an obstacle that reduces the visibility for motorists, and many times is the reason for accidents.

Similarly, at the end of the winter season most of the crops are harvested, and once this happens, Thai farmers would often burn the stems of the rice plants and corn, since it would cost much more if they were to be removed by tractors.

This would also drive away moisture from dew that forms on the plants, allowing the fruits to grow fully. Farmers would put dry leaves, dry grass or hay beneath the trees before dawn and light them up. The heat from the fire as well as the smoke would rise and dry up the morning dew from the trees and fruits.

Grass, dry leaves and hay would usually have a lot of moisture, and burning them would cause lots of smoke. The smoke then floats to the road and limits the visibility of the motorists.

Meanwhile, the dry leaves of plants near the road may also catch fire from cigarette butts thrown out from vehicles passing by, or even from the sparks from the exhaust pipes.

The fog and smoke on the road can become highly dangerous if the drivers do not know how to deal with them properly. First of all, when you are driving in this condition, switch on the headlights every time, no matter whether it is daytime and there is enough sunlight. Also make sure you use only the low beam, not the high beam or spot light. Even if you drive a new car with automatic headlights, switch the headlights on manually whenever you drive on inter-provincial highways rather than waiting for the system to turn on automatically.

Whenever you see fog or smoke far up ahead, try not to enter that area. Just park the vehicle until the wind blows the fog or smoke away before resuming the drive.

And whenever you drive the vehicle and there’s light fog or smoke, slow down immediately and drive very carefully because this could be a sign that you are heading towards the centre of the fog or thick smoke.

But if you suddenly drive into thick fog or smoke, just lower the vehicle speed by lifting off the accelerator. DO NOT brake suddenly. Look whether there are any vehicles following you. At this stage if you haven’t switched on the headlight, turn on the low beam right away. Try to keep on driving at a low and constant speed.

Never attempt to stop the vehicle in a heavily foggy or smoky area, and never switch on the hazard lights when the vehicle is moving. If the fog is very thick and water droplets start to form on the windscreen, pull the windshield washer stick and the highest wiper speed to clean the windshield.

Try to maintain a steady speed and notice the lane markings on the road to guide you. Also try to keep as much to the left as possible, but also look out for agricultural machinery which farmers may leave by the roadside. Also watch out for pedestrians and bicycles that may be difficult to see due to the poor visibility.

If possible, turn off the radio and lower the window slightly so that you can hear what’s happening outside such as horns and bells from other vehicles or bicycles. If the fog or smoke is thick, honk the horn occasionally to warn others about your position on the road.

When driving upcountry during this season, especially from 2am to 6am, be very careful with the fog and smoke. It doesn’t mean that you would not run into them at other hours, but this is when there is the most fog and smoke.

If you have to drive on mountains and hills, use lower speed than normal. The height and the different surroundings may cause the moisture and temperature level to differ from place to place. This difference is what creates fog on the road.

If you can follow these guidelines then you can dramatically lower the chances of running into an accident.