Tis the season... for fog

Summary

Thick blanket of fog settles over the Valley Monday morning, leading to a couple of minor collisions.

Story Published: Nov 30, 2009 at 9:53 PM PST

Story Updated: Nov 30, 2009 at 9:53 PM PST

LEWISTON - Fog caused a couple of minor collisions in Nez Perce County Monday morning,

And police say, when it's foggy, drivers need to take extra precautions.

"The first thing is make sure you can see out of all your windows, that they are clean and scrape the ice off," said LPD Corporal Eric Kjorness. "The other thing would be to turn your headlights on and slow down and as always, buckle up and put your seat belt on."

Often it's the newer cars, with automatic headlights that don't turn on when it's foggy during daylight hours, that cause problems for drivers.

"We all get used to the car turning the lights on for us, but just for that extra measure of safety, turn your lights on if you think you need them," said Kjorness. "It will certainly help the other drivers see you, maybe somebody who didn't scrape off their window so well will be able to see you."

On the grade, drivers will often turn on their flashers in heavy fog, but Kjorness said that's not always the best idea.

"If you are going to use your turn signals to change lanes people can't tell that you are using your turn signal to change lanes, just that your lights are flashing," said Kjorness. "Usually that's just reserved for the big trucks coming down the hill. Again the main thing is speed and wear your seat belt."

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