manoj

A Delhi Police constable died in the early hours of Wednesday after he was hit by an unknown vehicle near Wazirabad T-point. Investigations have revealed that the accident was caused due to reduced visibility as there was very dense fog when constable Surinder was hit around 5.15 am.

Surinder was not the only victim on the first day of thick fog this year. Each year, the onset of fog leads to a spurt in the total number of accidents on the Capital’s roads.

The worst affected stretches are places located on the outskirts of the city, highways, areas near river Yamuna, parts of Lutyens’ zone and India Gate, Ridge Road, farmhouse areas and places with less habitation.

Commuters who were wading their way through Tuesday’s fog had nightmarish experiences to share. ‘‘I was driving back home through Ridge Road around 11 pm and could not see beyond the bonnet of my car because of the fog. All I could spot were the white markings on the road — even the divider was not visible. I must have taken about halfan-hour just to cross the two-three kilometre stretch,’’ said Aakanksha Gupta, a resident of Chanakyapuri. Busy roads like Ring Road, Outer Ring Road, Mathura Road, Connaught Place, etc were relatively clearer.

The advise of the traffic police is to keep away from roads as far as possible. ‘‘Cancel all avoidable journeys. And if you have to have to be on the road, stick to your lane, avoid overtaking the vehicle ahead and drive slowly to keep safe,’’ said Qamar Ahmed, joint commissioner of police (traffic).

The police suggest car owners should ensure that all the lights are working. Getting fog lamps fitted from a car accessories shop is also advisable.

If there is nothing else, keeping two sheets of cellophane sheets and some sticking tape in the car is a good idea in this season, so that they can be affixed on the head lamps when driving through the fog.

Two-wheeler riders and pedestrians venturing out should wear bright coloured clothes and carry torches so that they can be spotted by drivers. They should keep alert for sounds of vehicles and keep away from the roads.

Traffic policemen on duty on the road have been instructed to wear jackets with reflector strips at the back and carry luminescent bars to make them visible to motorists, especially buses and trucks.

FIGHTING FOG

The city had its first encounter with dense fog on Tuesday night. Here are some survival tips to help you the next time

Tips for drivers

Install fog lights
Keep head lights on low beam as high beam reflects moisture off the droplets in the fog, blurring the vision
Turn on emergency flashers so that the vehicle can be spotted easily
To demist the windscreen, either switch on the blower with the vent on exhaust or open the front windows a little
Follow the white lane markers or tail the vehicle in front of you
Recharge or replace old batteries and get your vehicle checked to avoid breakdowns
Avoid applying brakes suddenly as fog makes the roads slippery
Two-wheeler riders, pedestrians should wear bright clothes to be spotted easily

Source: http://epaper.timesofindia.com (Delhi Edition)
Date Of Publish: 28-Dec-06

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motorbike

Overtaking is mandatory. Every moving vehicle is required to overtake every other moving vehicle, irrespective of whether it has just overtaken you or whether you are in a rush or not. Overtaking should only be undertaken in suitable conditions.