The Daily Observer London Desk: Reporter- Victoria Smith
Drivers have been warned to use their fog lights properly or risk a £50 fine, as the UK faces a -10C freeze this weekend.
Motoring company Driving Experience has warned drivers to brush up on their knowledge of when to use their fog lights.
The company said that drivers who have their lights on during clear weather could be issued with fines.
The warning comes as snow and ice cause widespread disruption across the UK this morning with trains and flights cancelled and events postponed due to the weather.
Flurries of snow fell in Scotland along with the southeast and southwest of England, with icy rails causing a power failure in Kent.
Drivers braved the misty weather in Richmond Park, south-west London last week
Pictured: Ploughed fields shrouded in fog in Keele, Staffordshire
A commuter waits in a frozen over bus stop in Low Fell, Gateshead ths morning
Operations manager Dan Jones told the Express: ‘Sometimes it is easy to forget you have put your fog lights on as you can’t see them when driving in lighter conditions.
‘Failing to do so could mean that not only could you dazzle an oncoming driver and cause an accident, you could also be hit with a £50 fine due to breaking the Highway Code.’
According to the Highway Code, drivers should use their headlights when visibility is below 100 metres.
The website reads: ‘You may also use front or rear fog lights but you must switch them off when visibility improves.’
Mr Jones added that using fog lights can reduce the vision of other drivers in some circumstances.
He said that 6,000 collisions were caused by ‘external factors’ last year, which includes dazzling lights.
While fog lights are generally switched on and off manually by the driver, some modern cars have automated systems to do this.
With these vehicles, it’s easy to forget the lights are on or to think they’ve automatically switched off when needed.
The Met Office issued yellow weather warnings for parts of the country this morning as temperatures dropped as low as -10C overnight.
Parts of Britain even experienced snow last night – with heavy snow in Scotland causing Glasgow Airport to suspend all flights.
Flurries of snow also fell in the southeast and southwest of England, with icy rails causing a power failure in Kent.
This led to the Southeastern service between Dover Priory and Ramsgate to be suspended.
A homeless man was found dead in a car yesterday in Beeston, Nottinghamshire after freezing temperatures swept the country, with the fire brigade called to free his body from the vehicle.
