Breaking Down on "Carnage Alley" Near London, Ontario

If your car quits on the 401 between Windsor and London, or on the 402 coming in from Sarnia, get fully onto the shoulder with your hazards on. Stay in the car with your belt on and the doors locked. If you are stuck in a live lane or anyone is hurt, call 911 first. Fog and lake-effect squalls are the big dangers on these roads, so pull off early. Don't wait until you can't see.

Where is Carnage Alley, exactly?

Carnage Alley is the nickname for Highway 401 between Windsor and London. It earned the name from its many crashes. In late 1999, petitions read in Ontario's legislature said 13 people died on that stretch in the first seven months of that year alone. They asked for six lanes, fully paved shoulders and rumble strips.

Ontario's draft transportation plan for the southwest later called for widening the 401 from London to Tilbury to six lanes, with a concrete median barrier. Where the 401 is still four lanes, you get two lanes each way and less room to get clear.

Closer to the city, the 402 joins the 401 and the road grows to six lanes. The London towing page maps the interchanges inside the city. This guide covers the open highway on either side of it.

When is fog worst near London?

Most people think of fog as a winter problem. Near London, it peaks in late summer and early fall. Environment Canada's 1981 to 2010 normals for London's airport show fog on about 44 days a year. August and September have the most, at about 5 days each.

London gets more fog than Windsor does. The Windsor airport averages about 24 fog days a year over the same period. So the fog can thicken as you drive east from Windsor toward London.

Fog often sits in low spots and burns off as the sun climbs. A clear road in Chatham can turn white by the time you reach Colonel Talbot Road. An early morning drive in September is the classic setup.

What should you do when fog closes in?

Ontario's official driver's handbook is blunt: the best move is to avoid driving in fog. If there is a fog warning, delay your trip until it clears. If you are already on the road, here is what it says to do.

• Use low beams. High beams bounce off the water drops in fog and make it harder to see.
• Leave extra room. You need more distance to stop safely when you can't see far ahead.
• Get right off the road if it's too thick. The handbook says to pull completely off the road, into a safe parking area if you can.

"Completely off" matters on a four-lane stretch. A car half on the shoulder in thick fog is a target. If you can reach an exit, take it and stop at a gas station or a lot. Waiting out the fog there beats waiting on the 401.

Your car quits in fog on the 401. Now what?

Sometimes you don't get to choose where you stop. The engine dies, a belt snaps, a tire blows. Here is the order that keeps you out of harm's way.

1. Hazards on, then coast to the shoulder. The handbook says to get to the nearest shoulder as fast as you can. Never stop in the driving lanes.
2. Stay inside, belt on, doors locked. That is the handbook's advice for a freeway breakdown. Standing beside a car on the 401 in fog is the riskiest place to be.
3. Call 911 if you are in a live lane or anyone is hurt. The Ontario Provincial Police patrol the 400-series highways.
4. Then call for help with your exact spot. Fog hides your car from anyone looking for it.

How do you describe where you are?

Your driver needs the highway, the direction and the last thing you passed. On the 401 near London, name the interchange: Colonel Talbot Road, Wonderland Road, Wellington Road, Highbury Avenue or Veterans Memorial Parkway, which is Exit 194. On the 402, name the Highway 4 interchange south of Lambeth, Wonderland Road, or the town you passed, such as Strathroy or Delaware.

"401 eastbound, past Colonel Talbot, right shoulder" gets help to you. "Somewhere near London" does not. Your phone's map can show your position if you are unsure.

What about squalls on the 402 and east toward Woodstock?

Fog is the fall danger. Squalls take over in winter. Lake Huron sits about 60 km northwest of London. When cold wind blows off it, snow can go from light to blinding very fast.

The numbers show the difference between the two ends of Carnage Alley. London's airport averages about 12 to 13 days of blowing snow a year. Windsor's averages about 4. The whole 402 from Sarnia to London can get squalls and whiteouts. The 401 from London east to Woodstock often gets heavy squalls in early winter.

The handbook's rule for a whiteout: if visibility is dropping fast, do not stop on the road. Slow down gradually and look for a safe place to pull off. Ontario's winter driving page adds two more tips. Use your full lighting system so others can see you. And never pass a working snowplow.

If the snow traps you

• Stay with your car. The handbook says it's your best shelter until help arrives.
• Keep the tailpipe clear of snow if you run the engine for heat.
• Carry the kit Ontario recommends: a charged phone, water and food, a flashlight, a blanket and warm clothes, jumper cables, a shovel, and traction mats or sand.

Slid into a snowbank or a shallow ditch beside the road, with no damage? A winch-out can pull you back onto solid ground. If the car can't be driven, you need a tow to a shop instead.

Check the road before you leave

Ontario 511 is the province's road information service. It shows incidents, closures, traffic cameras and road conditions. You can check it online at 511on.ca, or dial 511 for a hands-free voice service. Look before you head west on the 402 or the 401, especially on a foggy fall morning or a squall day.

What do passing drivers owe you?

Ontario's Highway Traffic Act has a move-over rule. When a tow truck is stopped with its amber lights flashing, drivers on that side must slow down and pass with caution. On a road with two or more lanes their way, drivers in the next lane must move over when it is safe. A court can also suspend a driver's license for up to two years for breaking the rule.

That protects your driver while they hook up your car. It does not make the shoulder safe for you. Stay in the car until your driver tells you it's time to move.

A tow truck showed up at the crash. Do you have to use it?

Not unless police or another official started the tow. Ontario's tow rights page says your consent is required first. You can pick the company and where your car goes. The only exception for picking the company is a restricted tow zone, and those are on some highways in the Greater Toronto Area, not near London. Before your car moves, the operator must give you their rates and a list of your rights.

If police order a tow after a crash, that's their call. Sentinel doesn't do police tows or impounds.

How does Sentinel help on the 401 or 402?

Sentinel Towing is a towing and roadside network. A vetted local partner tow company does the job. We text you a locked price before anyone is sent. Then we stay with you by text until your driver arrives, and send their name, photo and truck so you know which lights in the fog are yours. That's our Stay-With-You Promise.

Stuck right now? Call 1-888-TOW-1213, or request help online.

Carnage Alley Breakdown Questions

Rules change, so check the official source before you rely on it. Sources: MTO driver's handbook: night and bad weather, MTO driver's handbook: emergencies, Ontario: winter driving, Ontario 511, Ontario Highway Traffic Act, s. 159, Ontario: your rights when getting a tow, Connecting the Southwest draft plan, Ontario Hansard, November 2, 1999, Environment Canada normals, London airport, Environment Canada normals, Windsor airport.