Big rig crashes off Highway 99 during dense fog near Atwater
Dense fog continues to be an issue on Merced County roadways.
A semi overturned off northbound Highway 99 late Monday night in between Atwater and Livingston, according to a CHP Merced Facebook post.
The crash happened during a period of dense fog south of Liberty Avenue.
The crash caused damage to a perimeter fence along Campbell Avenue between Cressey Way and Arena Way, the post said.
Campbell Avenue will be closed between Cressey Way and Arena Way to allow for recovering the truck and fence repairs, CHP Merced said.
Traffic is expected to be minimally impacted, CHP Merced reported, but drivers should reduce speed in the area.
Driving in foggy conditions
A dense fog advisory is issued by your local National Weather Service office when widespread dense fog develops. When this happens, visibility frequently drops to one-quarter of a mile or less. These conditions make travel difficult. Take extra caution when on the road or avoid driving if possible.
If you must drive in foggy conditions, keep the following safety tips in mind:
- Slow down and allow extra time to reach your destination.
- Make your vehicle visible to others both ahead of you and behind you by using your low-beam headlights since this means your taillights will also be on. Use fog lights if you have them.
- Never use your high-beam lights. Using high-beam lights causes glare, making it more difficult for you to see what’s ahead of you on the road.
- Leave plenty of distance between you and the vehicle in front of you to account for sudden stops or changes in the traffic pattern.
- To ensure you are staying in the proper lane, follow the lines on the road with your eyes.In extremely dense fog where visibility is near zero, the best course of action is to first turn on your hazard lights, then simply pull into a safe location such as a parking lot of a local business, and stop.
- If there is no parking lot or driveway to pull into, pull your vehicle off the side of the road as far as possible. Once you come to a stop, turn off all lights except your hazard flashing lights, set the emergency brake and take your foot off the brake pedal to be sure the taillights are not illuminated so other drivers don’t mistakenly run into you.
