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"Fog season" is just getting started in Southwest Florida and usually lasts through the winter months (December - February). According to meteorologists, fog is caused by a moist warm layer of air traveling above the cold (usually between 58 and 62 degrees) coastal waters of the Gulf of Mexico. This  combination of the warm air and cold water causes fog.  Meteorologists call this the dew-point. The fog formed over the Gulf of Mexico (sea fog) is carried by the prevailing winds back over the land.  Fog generally forms within five miles from the Gulf of Mexico shoreline. This fog creates dangerous driving and boating conditions until the fog dissipates.

Between 1990 and 2012 there were 840 fatal fog-related crashes on Florida's roads and highways as reported in the November 2014 AAA (American Automobile Association) Foundation for Traffic Safety report titled, Hidden Highways: Fog and Traffic Crashes on America's Roads. In January 2012, 11 people were killed and 18 were injured in a 19-vehicle pileup on I75 in the Gainesville area as the result of fog.

An accident analysis and prevention study done in 2007 by Kathy Broughton, Fred Switzer and Don Scott and quoted in the AAA report, determined that driver behavior in the fog divided motorists into two camps called "laggers" and "non-laggers". Non-laggers, which is the predominant group, feel uncomfortable with the loss of visual reference points in the fog and try to stay within eyeshot of the vehicles in front of them even though doing so often requires following at an unsafe distance. Laggers often pull over and wait for the fog to lift. In a further study, participants perceived a lead car to be 60 percent farther away in foggy conditions than in clear conditions.

Boating and driving safety experts agree that "slower is better" in fog. Although it does not appear to be a law, there is a popular old saying you should always be able to stop in half the distance of the limit of your visibility to avoid collisions.

J.D. Power recommends the following five tips for driving in the fog:

1.    Slow down. If you cannot see where you are going, do not drive fast. Use your speedometer as a guide to regulate your speed, because thick fog masks the sensation of speed by removing visual indicators of velocity.

2.    Use low-beam headlights. When visibility is restricted, a driver's natural tendency is to activate the high-beam headlights. When driving in fog, this further impairs visibility because the high-beam illumination reflects off of the fog and back at your vehicle.

3.    Use fog lights. If your vehicle has front fog lights, they can help illuminate the road and make your vehicle more visible to other drivers. Some vehicles have rear fog lights, which help motorists who are following see your vehicle from a greater distance.

4.    Use the right-side pavement line as a guide. In thick fog, use the white line painted on the right side of the road as a guide. Do not use the center pavement markings, because doing so will guide you to move closer to oncoming vehicles, which are also driven by people having trouble seeing where they are going.

5.    Do not stop on the road. When you cannot see where you are going, a natural reaction is to slow down or even stop. In fog, never stop on the road. Find a safe place to pull over that is as far away from traffic as possible and turn off your lights. Leaving your lights on may cause motorists to think that your taillights indicate the lane of travel, which could cause a collision.

Fort Myers Vehicle Accident Attorney, Randall L. Spivey is a Board Certified Trial Attorney – the highest recognition for competence bestowed by the Florida Bar and a distinction earned by just one (1%) percent of Florida attorneys.  He has handled over 2,000 personal injury and wrongful death cases throughout Florida.  For a free and confidential consultation to discuss your legal rights, contact the Spivey Law Firm, Personal Injury Attorneys, P.A., in Lee County at 239.337.7483 or toll free at 1.888.477.4839,or by email to Randall@SpiveyLaw.com.  Visit SpiveyLaw.com for more information.  You can contact Spivey Law Firm, Personal Injury Attorneys, P.A.in Charlotte County at 941.764.7748 and in Collier County 239.793.7748.