‘Take extra precautions’: Fog creates difficult driving conditions

By Harry Loomis

With dense fog hitting the area earlier this week, police are highlighting the need to slow down when visibility is low. 

Although fog doesn’t cause traction issues like rain or snow, it can make it hard to see while driving, which is why Sgt. James Tonn with the St. Joseph Police Department emphasized slowing down and having lights on.

“Some people just don’t slow down at all,” said Sgt. James Tonn of the St. Joseph Police Department. “They don’t realize they do need to slow down. They don’t realize they need to have their lights on. They don’t realize they need to be more careful when they’re pulling out in the traffic. Just take extra precautions.”

Part of what can make the fog stick around parts of St. Joseph is the proximity to the Missouri River.

“There are days when you have just a fog off the river until you get away from the river,” Tonn said. “You can’t see much, especially in the mornings. When you have that, just slow down to be extra careful.”

Tonn said the police fortunately haven’t responded to many fog-related incidents this week. However, the chance is always there.

Tonn said if there were a day with heavy activity, the fog could be an issue.

“If we’re running lights and sirens somewhere, we can’t get there as fast because we have to be just as careful,” he said. “I tell everybody to slow down. We have to do that, too, if it is very foggy. We do see sometimes an uptick in crashes. But thankfully, most of the time, people are slowing down and being attentive, not doing things in their cars that they shouldn’t be doing other than driving.”