Hyderabad: With the city experiencing its coldest winter in seven years, fog, glare and reduced visibility on the roads are making driving more dangerous. Traffic police and road safety experts warned that the cold increases the risk of accidents, especially during early morning and late-night hours.
In an advisory issued recently, the Cyberabad traffic police urged motorists to avoid speeding, refrain from using high beams and avoid distractions while driving through fog-prone stretches, particularly on highways and flyovers.
According to research by Dr Neelima Chakrabarty, principal scientist at the Central Road Research Institute (CRRI), drivers mostly underestimate how severely winter conditions affect visibility and delay reaction time during foggy and cold conditions.
“Driving is mainly a visual task. During fog and glare, the brain receives delayed and distorted information, even if drivers feel they are in control,” Dr Chakrabarty told Deccan Chronicle.
A CRRI study on driver behaviour during adverse weather conditions found that the frequency of crashes increases during fog and rain despite drivers slowing down. Accident rates rose from 13.6 per cent in clear weather to over 14 per cent in fog and nearly 16 per cent during rainy conditions.
Glare from headlights is another major risk factor. The study found that nearly one-third of drivers struggled with glare recovery. The term refer to the ability to regain vision after being temporarily blinded by oncoming headlights. “High-beam usage worsens this problem in fog, as light scatters and reduces contrast,” Dr Chakrabarty said.
Reaction time was also found to increase by up to one to two seconds in fog and rain. “Even a one-second delay can mean several metres travelled without full visual control,” she explained, adding that experienced drivers were often more likely to overspeed despite poor visibility.
