Last Wednesday, more than 10 vehicles collided with each other on Delhi-Agra National Highway-91. About 30 people have been injured in this accident. The accident occurred due to thick fog and mist. Such accidents are seen every day in winter.
According to the Road Transport and Highways Ministry's 'Road Accidents in India-2022' report, 34,262 road accidents were caused due to fog and haze in the year 2022. In which 14,583 people died, while 30,796 people were injured.
While in the year 2021, the number of road accidents due to fog and mist was 28,934. Of these, 13,372 people died, while 25,360 people were injured.
Every year the number of road accidents increases due to fog and mist in winter. Extreme caution is required while driving in such conditions.
So today In work news We will talk about why the number of road accidents increases in winter? You will also know that-
- What should be kept in mind while driving in fog?
- What mistakes should not be made while driving in fog?
Expert: Veer Bahadur Singh, Traffic Incharge, Jalaun, Uttar Pradesh
Q- Why do road accidents increase in winter? Answer- The main reason for the increase in road accidents in winter is fog and mist, in which visibility is very low. Due to which the driver cannot see the vehicles ahead after a few meters which leads to accidents.
Especially in some states of North India, there is dense fog in the months of December and January, when visibility reaches zero. In such a situation, the news of road accidents comes out every day. Apart from this there are many other reasons. Check it out in the graphic below-
Question- What should be considered before driving in fog? Answer- No one wants to step out of the house in the bitter cold. However, some people have to drive several kilometers every day to go to office or for their important work. In such conditions, driving on thick fog and slippery roads is no less a challenge.
Hands and feet become numb in the cold. Cold weather affects your car too. So, there are a few things to check before taking your vehicle out of the house. By which road accidents can be avoided to a large extent. Understand this from the graphic below-
Question- What should be kept in mind while driving in fog or fog? Answer- Fog is one of the most challenging weather conditions for driving. Nothing is clear on the road this season. Often after 1-2 meters nothing is visible on the road. Only fog is visible on the road.
So one should be extra careful while driving in this season. Especially when you are passing through highways, expressways or signal free roads. For this, some important tips related to road safety should be adopted, so that we can drive safely and avoid road accidents. Understand this from the following graphic-
Let us now understand some of the points given in the graphic in detail.
Drive in your lane Driving lanes on national highways are designated according to two-wheeler, four-wheeler or larger vehicles. Its importance increases when visibility is reduced during fog. Accidents can be reduced to a great extent by vehicles moving in designated lanes. So always drive in your own lane. This not only allows you to drive safely, but also ensures the safety of other drivers.
Keep headlights on low beam during fog Vehicle headlights should be kept on low-beam during fog. Low-beam headlights help illuminate the 50 to 75 meters of road in front of the vehicle. When the light shines on the high-beam, nothing is visible in the fog.
Keep the defogger on to prevent fogging of the mirrors. In winter the temperature outside and the temperature inside the car are different. Due to which fog starts accumulating on the wind screen of the vehicle. This reduces visibility. Defogger prevents fogging on mirrors. Therefore, the defogger should be turned on while driving in fog.
Do not try to overtake It is not advisable to rush in fog. So, just move in your lane. Do not try to overtake other vehicles.
Maintain adequate distance from vehicles ahead During fog, maintain a greater distance than usual from vehicles in front, so that you have ample opportunity to control your vehicle's speed if the vehicle in front suddenly brakes. Due to which many accidents also occur.
Q- At what speed is it safe to drive during fog? Answer- Traffic in-charge Veer Bahadur Singh says that one should not drive more than 40 kilometers per hour in dense fog.
Q- What types of mistakes should not be made while driving in fog? Answer- There are some mistakes that should not be made while driving in fog. such as-
- Avoid parking your vehicle on roadsides in fog.
- Be sure to turn on the parking and hazard lights if there is an emergency.
- Turn on the indicator 10 seconds before taking a turn.
- Keep vehicle windshields and windows clean
Image Credit: (Divya-Bhaskar): Images/graphics belong to (Divya-Bhaskar).
