Fog and smog: Deadly cocktail

H. Kishie Singh

Fog is one of the most dangerous conditions to drive in. We will discuss the cause and effect and how to cope with it. Adding to the fog is smog, making matters far worse. Let’s figure out how all this is happening.

When you put a glass of ice water on the table on a hot summer day, the glass sweats. Beads of water form on the outside of the glass. This is condensation. That is exactly what happens in nature. The difference in temperature between the ground and air is the catalyst. Water vapour has saturated the air and it condenses into tiny droplets of water that are suspended in the air. This appears as a blanket of greyish-white haze, which can reduce visibility to almost zero.

Being a natural phenomenon, it is not a health hazard. However, it is uncomfortable for some, inconvenient for others, dangerous for all drivers and riders. Fog results in low visibility, nothing more. Add to fog some man-made pollutants and it becomes smog, which is harmful and in some extreme cases, a killer! 

What are these man-made pollutants? To start with, the exhaust emissions from your car. The Internal Combustion Engine is one of the reasons for our planet’s global warming. Stubble burning adds problems aplenty. Brick kilns, factories and even the cow dung patties for household cooking contribute. 

The real problem begins when all these pollutants combine and are in a higher than normal proportion in the atmosphere. The nitrogen oxide and dust particles are exposed to sunlight. The result is that ozone is formed at ground level. This reaction to sunlight leads to a photo chemical reaction that builds up into haze. 

When describing pollution, the word ‘particulate matter’ is used. Sodium chloride, sulphates, ammonia, black carbon and even dust and water fall into this category. They are measured as PM 10 and PM 2.5. The number indicates the diameter of the particles in microns. PM 2.5 is considered the most dangerous and the real reason for smog.

You, the car owner, can make a huge contribution in curbing this problem. Use your car sparingly, form car pools. It is normal for a car, an SUV at that, to ferry just one passenger to work. Another common habit: An SUV pulls into a market; wife gets out to buy bread, butter and eggs. The driver waits, engine idling with the AC on. How cna Memsahib wants to come back into a cool car. How uncool is that?

You are poisoning your own children to a slow death. Did that not occur to you? Think! Now is the time to act. Put your ego, arrogance, creature comforts (the AC) and self-importance aside. This is a national emergency!

In the last week, dozens of people were killed due to fog and smog. All due to reduced visibility. Speeding was one reason. Here are some points to stay safe in these conditions.

Reduce your speed, whether in the city or on the highway. Keep a safe distance from the car in front. Due to winter conditions, the glass area gets fogged up, keep it clear. Good visibility is a key factor to survival.

Keep your headlights on low beam, repeat low beam. The idea is see and be seen. High beam will be reflected back by the suspended water droplets and blind the driver.

Happy Motoring!