Heavy fog led to dangerous driving conditions on Tuesday morning — and motorists can expect more this week.
As late summer gives way to autumn, early morning fog is common in the Emirates.
And although it tends to quickly dissipate in the cities, the low-lying E11 road connecting Abu Dhabi to Dubai is often the worst affected.
Here we take a quick look at how to cope with driving in fog.
Keep a safe distance
It might sound obvious but the need to keep a safe distance from vehicles in front of you is even more paramount in treacherous weather.
A video shared by Abu Dhabi police on Monday evening urged motorists to “increase your speed gradually and double the distance between you and other vehicles”.
Do not use your hazard lights
“With hazard lights on, anybody behind has no clue what you’re doing — they don’t know if you’re turning left, turning right or slowing down,” Ian Cox, a senior drive trainer for Dubai-based automotive company Drive Dynamics, previously told The National.
Driving with hazard lights on in foggy weather is not only dangerous, it can also cost you, as it is punishable by a fine of Dh500 and four black points.
Maintain speed and lane discipline
“The main thing is speed and lane discipline. Only drive to the speed that you can see in front. Wherever you lose visibility, imagine that you have to stop in that time, because you could come across a group of cars that are stopped — even if you’re down to 20 kph or 30 kph,” said Mr Cox.
“If you really get to the point where you cannot see, stop. But if you stop, find somewhere where you’re protected — off the carriageway, behind a barrier if you can, so at least you’ve got some protection.
“If it’s really foggy, only make a journey if you really have to.”
Stick to low beam lights
“Fog lights: if you’ve got them, use them, but remember that if you can clearly see the car behind you, they can already see you as well, so then you don’t actually need to turn on your fog lights,” said Mr Cox.
“You only need them if you can’t see anything behind you, to give people an extra warning.
“A lot of people also don’t realise where the button is. So it’s always worth knowing where [the controls for] your fog lights are and how they operate — and make sure all your lights work.”
Do not use full beam as it will dazzle other drivers.
Think twice about overtaking
While it might be enticing to overtake a slow moving vehicle ahead, the lack of visibility makes that an unwise choice, unless you are absolutely sure the road ahead is clear.
“Avoid overtaking or changing lanes without checking the road [ahead] is free,” stated Abu Dhabi Police in their video.
Park if it becomes too difficult to see ahead
If the fog gets too thick, motorists are advised to park and turn on their hazard lights.
“In extremely dense fog, where visibility is near zero, park your vehicle in a safe place and turn on your hazard lights,” said Abu Dhabi Police.
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Read more:
Eerie but beautiful: Our best pictures of the fog over the years
More dense fog causes second day of travel disruptions
Beautiful scenes captured during Monday morning's fog
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Treaty of Friendship between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates
The United kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates; Considering that the United Arab Emirates has assumed full responsibility as a sovereign and independent State; Determined that the long-standing and traditional relations of close friendship and cooperation between their peoples shall continue; Desiring to give expression to this intention in the form of a Treaty Friendship; Have agreed as follows:
ARTICLE 1 The relations between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates shall be governed by a spirit of close friendship. In recognition of this, the Contracting Parties, conscious of their common interest in the peace and stability of the region, shall: (a) consult together on matters of mutual concern in time of need; (b) settle all their disputes by peaceful means in conformity with the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations.
ARTICLE 2 The Contracting Parties shall encourage education, scientific and cultural cooperation between the two States in accordance with arrangements to be agreed. Such arrangements shall cover among other things: (a) the promotion of mutual understanding of their respective cultures, civilisations and languages, the promotion of contacts among professional bodies, universities and cultural institutions; (c) the encouragement of technical, scientific and cultural exchanges.
ARTICLE 3 The Contracting Parties shall maintain the close relationship already existing between them in the field of trade and commerce. Representatives of the Contracting Parties shall meet from time to time to consider means by which such relations can be further developed and strengthened, including the possibility of concluding treaties or agreements on matters of mutual concern.
ARTICLE 4 This Treaty shall enter into force on today’s date and shall remain in force for a period of ten years. Unless twelve months before the expiry of the said period of ten years either Contracting Party shall have given notice to the other of its intention to terminate the Treaty, this Treaty shall remain in force thereafter until the expiry of twelve months from the date on which notice of such intention is given.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF the undersigned have signed this Treaty.
DONE in duplicate at Dubai the second day of December 1971AD, corresponding to the fifteenth day of Shawwal 1391H, in the English and Arabic languages, both texts being equally authoritative.
Signed
Geoffrey Arthur Sheikh Zayed
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When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
