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General Knowledge · Driving in Fog

If fog becomes so dense that a driver cannot see far enough ahead to drive safely, what should the driver do?

1.Stop driving and get off the roadway at a truck stop or rest stop if possible, since 392.14 requires discontinuing operation when conditions become too dangerous to continue safelyCorrect answer
2.Continue driving at the posted speed limit regardless of conditions, since stopping anywhere along the roadway is treated as illegal under this specific federal rule
3.Turn off the headlights completely so that other drivers out on the road are never confused by any glare reflecting back off the fog itself today
4.Increase speed noticeably in order to exit the fog bank that much sooner than otherwise, then slow right back down once it becomes fully clear today

Explanation

When fog becomes too dense to see far enough ahead to drive safely, a driver must stop driving, and should get the vehicle completely off the roadway at a truck stop or highway rest stop rather than merely stopping in a travel lane or on the shoulder, if that can be avoided. 49 CFR 392.14 is a genuine, directly codified rule requiring that operation of a commercial motor vehicle be discontinued when a hazardous condition makes continued safe operation impossible, and it does not permit resuming until the vehicle can be safely operated again; the specific advice to look for a truck stop or rest stop, rather than stopping along the road, is standard driver-training guidance, not something 392.14 itself specifies. The other options fail for a shared reason: each proposes continuing to drive, at normal speed, with the headlights off, or briefly faster, when the regulation requires stopping until it is safe to continue, and none of them addresses the actual hazard of near-zero visibility.

Source: 49 CFR 392.14

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