Great news! Interstate 4 has reopened for business late this afternoon (Thursday, 1/10/08)!
Tampa and Orlando are once again united thanks to a six lane highway where you can go from one place to another without encountering a traffic light. For those communities on US 92 east of Lakeland in Polk County, the temporary home of Interstate 4 the past couple of days, it is relief from the horrendous traffic jams for the many residents that make US 92 a part of their daily routine.
In a previous post several months ago I have discussed the summer thundershowers that can slow your travels on Interstate 275 and are well worth repeating, not only for the rain but for fog as well:
1. Most importantly, reduce your speed when you approach the fog and the trail of brake lights. 65 or 70 mph does not mean 65 or 70 mph all the time - you are supposed to drive in a reasonable and prudent manner when you approach an area of reduced visibility not only with fog but with smoke and rain as well.
2. Ease up on your accelerator and don't attempt to stop suddenly - the low visibility created by the fog is a recipe for an accident. If you have to use your brakes, tap on them lightly but slowly.
3. Give driving your 100% attention especially during the low visibility of the fog - the cell phone call can wait until you are in a safe place.
4. The only time you want to use your 4-way flashers is if you are pulled over in an emergency situation. 4-way flashers are not meant to be used while your vehicle is in motion; in fog (especially heavy fog) someone can run into you thinking that you are stopped. Speaking of emergency situations if your vehicle breaks down for any reason please by all means pull over to the nearest shoulder so that you are not obstructing traffic in any way.
5. Turn on your headlights, even if you have daytime running lamps. The daytime running lamps do not turn on your vehicle's rear tail lights when you need it. Remember to turn them off when you reach your destination to avoid a dead battery. Besides, having headlights on during rain as well as fog or smoke is mandatory per Florida Statutes.
6. Allow extra time to get to your destination, especially if you have to be somewhere at a given time. Leave early if you can.
7. Make sure your wipers and tires are in excellent condition for the road. Also check your windshield washer reservoir periodically and replenish as needed. Heavy fog can cause condensation on your windshield and when this occurs you have to use your windshield washers on the road as well.
8. If you breakdown on Interstate 275 or any other highway in the Tampa Bay area (including Interstate 4), pull over in a safe place such as the nearest shoulder. You may call *FHP (*347) on your cell phone to request a road ranger be sent to your location.
9. Most importantly, if you encounter thick and heavy fog that you cannot see over the hood of your vehicle, pull off the highway and stop in a safe place and remain there until the fog has lifted. If you are on Interstates 275, 75 or 4 make sure that you exit the highway and stop in a safe place (after all, stopping on an interstate highway unless you have a dire emergency such as an accident or a breakdown is illegal).
Following these safety tips for driving in fog (as well as smoke and rain) ensures that you will arrive at your destination safely. As I mentioned in my previous post if you were impacted by the closure of Interstate 4 please by all means post a reply.
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2 comments:
This is some good advice. I think that fog is an overlooked danger in today's society. People are always yapping on their cellphones unaware that their death may await them...in the fog!
Sounds like the tagline of next summer's steamy action thriller "CONdensation"
I think it would probably star someone strong - like The Rock or maybe Hulk Hogan and they would be driving on I-275 in the fog. They would recieve a call and then not pull over and the fog would have its way with them. I'm not saying it wouldn't get graphic, but believe me when I say things get racy!
You would probably need a woman to be the hero to save him - maybe name her Sunlight or Warmth. She would come to save the hero (probably named Bob or Magneto) and he would admit that he underestimated the fog. He fesses up to not giving enough time to get to his photo shoot (thus speeding and tailgaiting) using his 4-way hazards and throwing garbage into a body of water exceeding 200,000 gallons. In the end he would be a better person, albeit a person who is missing a leg and uses and hook as a hand. Better yet - lets name it the making of Captain Hook, 2008. If you want to discuss putting together a script and pitching it to Universal, MGM and Warner Brothers (I think the love scenes will need to be too risque for Disney and television) let me know. I bet we could spin it off into a television series and maybe you and I could retain all merchandising rights. Snowglobes maybe - but instead of snow in there maybe we could put something that looks like fog. and put a severed hand toy in too to signify the danger of the fog: what we must heed at ALL times.
Thanks for the good blog and get back to me on that idea. We could make a ton of money and its your idea too!!
That was a great comment! You never know, maybe one day a TV movie could be made based on what recently happened on Interstate 4. After all, TV movies were made based on events such as Hurricane Andrew as an example.
Another idea would be a future ER episode where there is a trauma alert due to a major crash on an interstate highway because of the fog.
These are some of my ideas - again thanks for the comments!
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