The National Weather Service issued a dense fog advisory for the Benton County Lowlands on Thursday at 9:56 a.m., which was in force until noon.
According to the meteorological service, “Visibility one quarter mile or less in dense fog.”
The weather service remarks, “Driving conditions could be hazardous due to low visibility.” “If you’re driving, use your headlights, slow down, and give yourself plenty of space. When driving, reduce your speed and give yourself plenty of space. To improve their chances of being noticed by others in low visibility situations, cyclists and pedestrians can dress in reflective or bright clothes.
Navigating fog: Safety tips by the weather service
Visibility frequently lowers to a quarter-mile or less if a dense fog advisory is issued for your area, indicating that widespread dense fog has formed. Driving in these conditions might be difficult, so be extremely careful and, if at all possible, postpone your journey.
If it becomes impossible to avoid driving in fog, keep these safety precautions in mind:
Go at a moderate pace:
To get to your location safely, slow down and give yourself more time to travel.
Visibility is important.
Use low-beam headlights, which also turn on your taillights, to make sure that people can see your car. Make use of your fog lights if you have them.
Steer clear of high beams:
Avoid using high-beam lights as they produce glare, which makes it harder to see what’s in front of you on the road.
Keep your gaps safe:
To allow for unexpected stops or changes in traffic patterns, maintain a significant following distance.
Remain in your lane:
To stay in the proper lane, follow the lane lines on the road.
Strategy for zero visibility:
When there is almost no visibility because of heavy fog, turn on your hazard lights and find a safe place to stop, like a nearby company parking lot.
Restricted parking possibilities
Pull your car as far off the road as you can if there isn’t a designated parking space. To reduce the possibility of other vehicles colliding with your stationary car, turn off all lights save the warning flashers, apply the emergency brake, and depress the brake pedal. This will keep your tail lights off.
Following these weather service guidelines will help you drive more safely in foggy circumstances, reducing the chance of accidents and putting your health first.
United Robots offers a service called Advance Local Weather Alerts that gathers the most recent information from the National Weather Service using machine learning.