With darkness, fog, rain, ice and snow critical situations may arise in autumn and winter on the streets. Follow the instructions of our guest author Police Chief Inspector Christopher Becker – responsible for traffic accident prevention – and drive more safely.
In darkness and poor visibility:
Take particular care and do not let yourself be distracted.
Lower your pace, keep a safe distance and be constantly ready to brake.
In the fog in no case drive with high beam on, because the fine water droplets reflect the light and thereby deteriorate visibility again.
With Frost:
Scrape all iced-up windows free before driving.
Do not drive off with fogged windows.
Check the antifreeze content of coolant and windshield washer fluid in time.
Pedestrians be aware:
Pedestrians are often not seen in time and motor vehicle drivers are often perceived only dangerously late pedestrians.
Our response times rise in the dark, bad weather extendeds the braking distance additionally.
Anticipatory driving and appropriate speed provide a safety buffer and can save lives.
Light drivers are visible!
Drive with your light on also during the day. Especially in the “dark season” it is well worth to turn on the “light switch”.
By this you drag more attention to yourself early.
Very fast-moving vehicles are seen earlier.
You or others get a better chance of estimating the traveling speed.
Image sources: Canstockphoto