State-owned NHAI has undertaken road safety measures to counter reduced visibility due to foggy conditions, an official statement said on Saturday. Mitigation measures have been classified under two heads — engineering measures and safety awareness measures — to enhance road safety during foggy conditions, it added.

The guidelines also encourage NHAI officials to create awareness among highway users to use blinkers and follow traffic rules.

In addition, the statement said that NHAI field offices have been directed to undertake nighttime highway inspection on a weekly basis by a team consisting of NHAI officials, independent engineers, and concessionaire/contractor to assess visibility on the highway and identify locations for installing additional provisions as required.

Also, highway patrol vehicles will be stationed near dense foggy stretches. According to the statement, the highway operation and maintenance team will carry a red/green blinking baton for guiding traffic in case of an accident and establish seamless collaboration with local law enforcement, ambulance services, and municipal authorities.

NHAI team will also conduct joint drills and exercises to ensure efficient coordination during fog-related emergencies, it said.

The engineering measures include reinstalling missing/ damaged road signs, rectifying faded or inadequate pavement markings, enhancing the visibility of safety devices by providing reflective markers, median markers, providing transverse bar markings in habitations and accident-prone locations, and ensuring functional blinkers at median openings at under construction zones, among others. Similarly, safety awareness measures underline incorporating steps to alert highway users of the reduced visibility conditions.

These measures include the use of variable message signs (VMS) or electronic signages to display 'foggy weather alerts' and speed limit messages.