How to Drive Safely in Fall Weather Conditions

The fall season is all about apple, corn and pumpkin harvests, fall foliage, football and shorter days, longer nights. However, the fall season also brings along its own weather conditions, mainly cool, cloudy, rainy and wet. Fog is more prevalent in the fall because the nights are cool and long, causing the air that’s close to the ground to chill. Rain is more widespread in the fall because the fall season is right in the middle of hurricane season, which runs this year from June 1 through November 30. Lastly, sun glare is worse in fall because the sun is lower in the horizon, resulting in the light hitting the surface at a lower angle as well.

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DRIVING SAFELY IN FOG

Fog often occurs in the early morning hours or the early evening hours, when the temperatures are normally at their lowest. The simple definition of fog is it’s a cloud, made of millions of tiny droplets of water floating in the air, that touches the ground.

• Avoid using your high beams – High beams emit a powerful light that make fog appear denser, when reflected off the water particles, thus reducing your visibility.
• Increase your following distance – In good weather, the two-second rule applies to maintain a safe following distance with the car in front of you. However, since fog decreases your visibility, you should increase that distance to about 5 seconds.

DRIVING SAFELY IN THE RAIN

• Avoid using cruise control – When the roads are dry, cruise control can be useful. However, it can be a hazard when the roads are wet, because it can cause your vehicle to accelerate in the event of hydroplaning.
• Drive at a slower speed than normal – When the roads are wet and slippery, your vehicle’s reaction time will be slower than normal.

DRIVING SAFELY WITH SUN GLARE

Drivers are most affected by sun glare just after sunrise and just before sunset.

• Wear polarized sunglasses – Polarized sunglasses are very effective for dealing with sun glare when you’re driving. Their lenses feature a special filter that is designed to reduce sun glare by blocking intensely reflected light.
• Keep your windshield clean – When your windshield is dirty with debris and spots, it can be more difficult to see when there’s sun glare. Be sure your windshield is clean inside and out.

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