Driving with Limited Visibility: What You Can Do to Avoid A Crash
When dealing with limited visibility, the first rule is that you only drive when you must. If you can avoid driving in fog, rain, night-time or other conditions that limit your visibility, you will reduce the risk of becoming involved in a crash. Here’s what you need to know about driving with limited visibility and solutions to reach your destination safely:
- Dirty windows. Clean before starting a trip (inside & outside). Keep the windshield washer fluid reservoir full.
- Objects inside vehicle that create blind spots. Keep cargo and other objects low. Hang clothes in rear on driver’s side.
- Frost or ice on windows. Use defroster before beginning trip.
- Fog, rain, blowing snow. Wait in a safe area for conditions to improve. Reduce your speed, increase your following distance. Use your headlights, or hazard lights if speed is more than 15 miles below posted limit.
- Standing water sprayed onto windshield. Try to anticipate, stay calm, hold wheel firmly, avoid braking.
- Snow on vehicle. Clear all snow and ice from windows, lights, mirrors, hood and roof.
- Low light/night driving. Use headlights, reduce speed, dim dash lights.
- Shadows. Increase scanning, reduce speed.
- Bright sun/glare. Use sunglasses, visor.
- Oversized vehicles. Maintain cushion of safety, increase following distance, approach carefully.
There are times when you cannot control your driving conditions. If you find yourself in a situation of limited visibility, avoid driving if possible. But in a circumstance when you must drive, use these tips to drive with limited visibility and safely reach your destination.
Frequently asked questions
What's the first rule for driving in fog or other low-visibility conditions?
Don't drive if you don't have to. The single most effective way to avoid a low-visibility crash is to wait the conditions out. If you can delay your trip until fog lifts, snow stops, or daylight returns, do it. When driving is unavoidable, reduce your speed, increase your following distance, turn on headlights, and use hazard lights if you're forced to travel more than 15 mph below the posted limit. A safe area to wait, like a well-lit parking lot or rest area, is always a better choice than pushing through conditions you can't see in.
How do I keep my windshield and windows from limiting visibility?
Start every trip with clean glass, inside and out. Interior film from off-gassing plastics and exhaled moisture builds up faster than people realize and creates serious glare at night. Keep the washer fluid reservoir full. In winter, use the defroster before you start driving, and clear all snow and ice from windows, lights, mirrors, the hood, and the roof. Snow blowing off the roof onto your windshield mid-drive is a hazard for you and for the drivers behind you.
What should I do if standing water sprays across my windshield?
Anticipate it before it happens. If you see a truck or large vehicle coming the other way through standing water, expect a wave. When it hits, stay calm, hold the wheel firmly, and avoid braking, which can unsettle the car at exactly the wrong moment. Let the wipers clear the windshield on their highest setting, then ease back to normal. Slowing down before reaching the standing water in the first place is the best move, since less speed means less spray and more reaction time.
How should I handle driving at night with limited visibility?
Use your headlights any time visibility drops, dim your dashboard lights so the cabin glow doesn't compete with your eyes' ability to see the road, and reduce your speed so you can stop within the distance illuminated by your low beams. Increase scanning, especially through shadows and around oversized vehicles where your sightlines are blocked. If oncoming headlights are blinding you, look toward the right edge of your lane rather than at the lights themselves. That keeps your eyes adapted and lets you track your lane position.
How do I drive safely around large trucks and oversized vehicles?
Maintain a cushion of safety on all sides. Large vehicles block your view of traffic, signs, and signals ahead, so increase your following distance well beyond what you'd use behind a passenger car. Approach carefully when passing, since wind buffeting and spray are stronger near trucks. Stay out of their blind spots, which run along both sides and directly behind the trailer. If you can't see the driver's mirrors, they can't see you. Pass decisively when it's safe, then return to your lane only when you can see the truck's full front end in your rearview mirror.
