Fog can be a beautiful sight to behold from afar. It has the appearance of a low-lying cloud cover, blanketing valleys while mountains and tall structures continue to tower overhead.

Up close, fog is much less lovely. The dense mist makes it much harder to see your surroundings, and this reduced visibility is especially concerning when you are on the road. If you are not driving responsibly, stopped vehicles and other hazards may not become visible until it is too late to avoid a collision.

A 2014 study by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety found that fog or smoke accounted for only a small percentage of fatal crashes between 1999 and 2009. However, they also determined that collisions were much more likely to occur during these conditions.

Drivers in foggy conditions often try to keep the vehicle in front of them within view. Since fog reduces the distance you can see, driving within sight of the next vehicle usually reduces your following distance to an unsafe level. When several people drive this way, it causes vehicles to cluster together and makes it more difficult to stop for hazards on the road. As such, chain reaction collisions and multi-vehicle pileups are more common in the fog.

Drivers may also feel overconfident in their ability to safely navigate a foggy road. Researchers found that they often do not to reduce their speed until they have trouble seeing road markings, which tend to remain visible even as it becomes more difficult to perceive upcoming road conditions.

Slowing down when traveling through fog allows you to safely negotiate a road and increase the time you have to react to an unexpected hazard. J.D. Power & Associates recommends checking your speedometer periodically to make sure you aren't driving too fast for the conditions. Fog can mask signposts and other visual indicators, so you might be going faster than you think.

Maintain a constant speed. The Ontario Ministry of Transportation says you should not speed up to pass a vehicle or get away from someone who is tailgating. If you need to reduce your speed, do so gradually. Do not speed up until the fog has dissipated; even if it seems like the fog is starting to burn off, it might get thicker as you continue driving.

Leave enough following distance so that you can brake if the vehicle in front of you needs to slow down. Using the road markings, particularly the white line on the right side of the road, is a better point of reference than a lead vehicle's taillights. Avoid passing or changing lanes unless absolutely necessary.

Stay alert when driving through low visibility conditions. Look ahead as far as possible, and keep an eye out for electronic signs warning of upcoming hazards.

If your vehicle has automatic headlights, don't assume that they will turn on because of the fog. The Automobile Association, an English organization, says the ambient light level might be enough to keep your lights from coming on. Manually activate the headlights to help you see ahead and allow other drivers to see you.

Use your low beams instead of your high beams. While your "brights" are usually better for low visibility situations, they will reflect off the fog and further inhibit your vision.

If you have fog lights, make sure to use them in these conditions. J.D. Power says these lights will help you see farther down the road, while rear fog lights will make your vehicle visible to following traffic from a greater distance.

Make sure your windshield and windows aren't getting fogged up. Use your windshield wipers and defroster setting to keep the glass clear.

In some circumstances, the fog might be so dense that you won't feel safe continuing. J.D. Power says you should never stop in the road, but rather find a safe place to pull over. Turning on your emergency flashers can let other drivers know where your vehicle is, but simply leaving on the lights is hazardous; another driver may mistakenly believe that you are in a travel lane and collide with the back of your vehicle.

Ideally, you'll be able to pull off in a rest stop or other safe parking area. Doing so will let you wait out the fog in a safe area off the road.