LAHORE: With the start of the fog season, National Highways & Motorway Police (NH&MP) has started adopting extraordinary preventive measures to avoid fog-related accidents. NH&MP Inspector General Dr Wasim Kauser, while presiding over a meeting about the safety arrangements on national highways & motorways held at IG camp office Thoker Niaz Baig, said that the motto of 'safety first' should be kept in mind before boarding a vehicle one should check car lights and wipers.
He said the defoggers should be used frequently to clear the windscreen, rear screen and back view mirrors.
He directed NH&MP officers to be stationed at all toll plazas, interchanges and entry points and impart necessary briefing to the drivers regarding safety measures and speed limit etc. The officers must ensure that interior lights of the Passenger Service Vehicle (PSV) vehicles are switched on for a clear view, he added.
He further said that all officers will patrol in reflective jackets and slow moving and animal drawn vehicles will be asked to move on the hard shoulder with proper reflectors while U-turns will be avoided. Dr Kauser said that no public/private vehicle will be intercepted on a highway, except for pressing reasons during thick fog. He directed patrolling officers that they should request the commuters to drive at a moderate speed and at a safe distance. Drivers should also be requested to abstain from smoking or playing music while driving to have better concentration.
Sensitive areas should continuously be patrolled and side alley should be used frequently.
Six cones instead of three should be placed at the site of break down vehicle and they should be placed at safe distance. He said that speeding drivers should be properly briefed about the dangers of speeding and cars lacking proper lights should be asked to get the lights repaired from the nearest workshop or a service station.
He elaborated that fog created a visual illusion of slow motion when you may actually be speeding, listen for traffic you cannot see, use wipers and defrosters as necessary for maximum visibility, watch out for slow-moving and parked vehicles, drive with lights on low beam, do not stop on a freeway or heavily traveled road as you could become the first link in a chain-reaction collision.
He said that if any one wants to pull off the road, he must use indictors and then carefully pull off as far as possible. He directed commuters that after pulling off the road, they should turn on their hazard flashers. He said that commuters should use the right edge of the road or painted road markings as a guide.