@People driving back home during the Spring Festival, beware of the "mobile killer" on the highway

Some time ago, a multi-vehicle chain collision occurred on the Xinzheng Yellow River Bridge (National Highway 107). Several vehicles collided on the bridge, some even piled up on top of each other. Drivers and passengers were taking photos or checking the damage to their vehicles. The accident was suspected to be caused by foggy weather with poor visibility.

Image source: Dahebaoyu video

According to the Henan Provincial Meteorological Observatory, on the morning of that day, there was fog with visibility less than 500 meters in parts of Xuchang, Luohe, Zhumadian, Zhoukou, Nanyang, Pingdingshan, Xinyang, Zhengzhou, Puyang and other places in Henan Province, and even less than 200 meters in some local areas.

In December 2018, two rear-end collisions occurred on the Shenyang-Haikou Expressway in Qingdao due to fog, which damaged seven vehicles, including two injuries on a bus carrying 25 people. In November 2020, three traffic accidents occurred on the Guanzhuang Interchange on the Shaanxi Tongchuan section of the G65 Baomao Expressway due to fog. 43 vehicles collided and more than 10 vehicles caught fire.

The above accidents actually happened, and the cause is a culprit - fog. Fog is called the "mobile killer" on the highway, so how is fog formed? What harm does it do to highway driving? During the Spring Festival travel rush, how should people who drive back home be alert to this bad weather?

1. What is fog?

**** Fog is also called clumps of fog. It is essentially fog. It is affected by the microclimate environment of the local area. In the heavy fog, it is a thicker fog with lower visibility in a local area of ​​tens to hundreds of meters. Fog is formed due to ground radiation cooling, which makes the air close to the ground cooler and the saturated specific humidity decrease, resulting in condensation of water vapor. The formation of fog requires two main conditions: one is that the water vapor in the lower layer is abundant and the air humidity is high ; the other is that the temperature difference between day and night is large and the wind is light .

Image source: Bengbu Forum

The main characteristics of fog clusters are that they form quickly and are very small in size, only a few hundred meters or even tens of meters, and are extremely dense fog. Its coverage area varies from 1 to 5 kilometers. Outside the fog clusters, visibility is good, but inside the fog clusters is hazy. Due to its high concentration, small range, strong suddenness, and strong harm to traffic, it is called the "mobile killer" on highways.

Once fog appears

Many drivers are easily at a loss

Sudden braking caused a rear-end collision

Since fog is closely related to the local microclimate environment

The highway surface temperature is higher during the day

Greater temperature difference between day and night

More conducive to the formation of fog

Once a fast-moving vehicle enters the fog on the highway,

It is more dangerous

Therefore, friends who drive back home during the Spring Festival

Be sure to pay attention to weather conditions and drive carefully

Source: CCTV News

2. What should you do if you encounter fog on the highway while driving?

If you encounter fog while driving on the highway, don't panic, stay calm and follow the steps below!

Don't brake suddenly. If you brake suddenly, the car behind you often doesn't have time to react, which may lead to a rear-end collision. If you need to brake, you should slowly release the accelerator and continue to lightly press the brake. This not only serves to alert the car behind you, but also helps to control the speed. Since visibility is low in fog and it is impossible to distinguish the distance between cars, do not change lanes, overtake, or stop on the spot while driving . The best way is to slowly drive out from the nearest exit, or enter a nearby service area to take shelter and wait for the fog to dissipate.

Keep driving at a low speed. If you encounter fog while driving, you should slow down in advance and strictly abide by traffic rules and speed limits. Article 81 of the "Regulations for the Implementation of the Road Traffic Safety Law of the People's Republic of China" stipulates that when a motor vehicle is driving on an expressway with visibility less than 50 meters, the speed shall not exceed 20 kilometers per hour , and it shall leave the expressway as soon as possible from the nearest exit.

Use lights correctly. When encountering fog , turn on fog lights, low beam lights, clearance lights, front and rear position lights, and hazard warning flashers in time. Remember not to use high beam lights. Because high beam lights shine upward, the emitted light will be diffusely reflected by the fog and form a white area in front of the car, which can easily cause the driver's vision to be unclear.

Always pay attention to the car behind you. When driving at high speed in foggy weather, braking is only the first step to safety. You also need to keep an eye on the car behind you to see if it can brake in time. Therefore, the driver needs to give the car behind you a reminder, such as using the brakes as a reminder and turning on the hazard lights at the same time.

Properly handle accidents. If the vehicle cannot move forward due to low visibility or an accident, the driver should stop the vehicle in the emergency lane and turn on the hazard warning lights according to the actual situation on the scene. At the same time, the driver and passengers in the vehicle should also move to a safe place immediately and call the police for help.

There are thousands of roads, but safety comes first!

I hope all friends who are driving back home

Be careful when driving

Be alert to possible severe weather and emergencies

Get home safely

Happy New Year!

END

Comprehensive: Ministry of Emergency Management, China Weather Network, Lianyungang Traffic Police, Science Popularization China

Compiled by: Liu Xuejie and Cai Lin

Editor: Guru