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Difficulty: MediumDriving in Adverse Weather and Low Visibility

You are driving on a highway at night when dense fog suddenly reduces your visibility to less than 150 feet. Which of the following is the safest procedure to ensure vehicle control and visibility?

  1. A
    Switch to high-beam headlights to illuminate farther down the roadway while maintaining the posted speed limit.
  2. Activate low-beam headlights and reduce your speed to match your visible stopping distance.Answer
  3. C
    Turn off all exterior lights and travel slowly along the right shoulder until the fog clears.
  4. D
    Maintain your current speed while following the taillights of the vehicle directly ahead closely.

Answer

Activate low-beam headlights and reduce your speed to match your visible stopping distance.
In dense fog, low-beam headlights cast light downward onto the road surface without causing reflective glare, while slowing down ensures you can bring your vehicle to a complete stop within the distance you can clearly see ahead.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Evaluate atmospheric visibility hazards.
Identify that fog reflects light and restricts clear forward sight lines.
Suspended moisture droplets act like tiny mirrors, scattering high-intensity light.
2
Select correct vehicle light controls.
Use low-beam headlights (and fog lights if available).
Low beams direct light down toward the road surface below the fog layer without reflecting glare back into the driver's eyes.
3
Apply the Basic Speed Law.
Decrease vehicle speed until your stopping distance is less than your forward sight distance.
The Basic Speed Law dictates that safe driving speed depends on current weather and road visibility conditions, not just posted numerical limits.

Key Concept

Headlight Management and Speed Control in Reduced Visibility
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Topics

Driving in Adverse Weather and Low Visibility

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