Human radar? Man sits on moving car bonnet to guide driver through zero-visibility fog, internet reacts

As dense winter fog continues to engulf large parts of north India, drastically reducing visibility on roads and highways, a viral Instagram video has sparked widespread concern, and disbelief online. The clip features a group of men attempting to navigate through near-zero visibility by making one of their friends sit on the bonnet of a moving car to guide the driver. The video posted by davldeed which has now surpassed 11 million views online, has prompted sharp criticism from social media users, many of whom described the act as reckless and dangerous.

‘No lights are useful here’

In the video, filmed at night, the car moves slowly through thick fog with headlights rendered almost useless. One of the passengers explains the situation from behind the camera: “Guys, visibility is zero. We have made a person sit outside on the car’s bonnet. He is giving us instructions because right now we are not on the main road. It’s an off-road patch and we are unable to see anything here. We can’t figure out where to turn.” However, people are advised to refrain from performing such actions as it can be quite risky, while a small mistake can lead to a major accident.

As laughter fills the car, the man seated on the bonnet gestures with his hands, signalling the driver when to turn the steering wheel. At one point, another passenger declares, “No lights are useful here, make a person sit like this.” The group sarcastically labels their improvisation as “ADAS Level 4. Only 1 in India Scorpio,” likening the risky manoeuvre to advanced driver assistance systems. The tone remains casual, even as the man outside remains exposed to both freezing temperatures and the obvious risk of serious injury.

Online outrage, advice and dark humour

The response online was swift and largely critical. “Accident se pehle thand se mar jaega (“he’ll die from the cold before an accident happens),” one user commented. Another wrote, “One emergency brake,” followed by laughing emojis, highlighting how little margin for error such a stunt allows.

Several users offered safer alternatives. “Always open the camera… It works best in fog and will show u a clearer image on screen,” one suggested, while another advised using a phone’s pro camera mode to improve visibility. Others resorted to sarcasm. “Naya feature aya h Scorpio m, Human radar (Looks like the Scorpio has a new feature: human radar),” one user joked.

Some remarks were comparatively more pointed. “This is the reason why men no live longer as compared to women,” one user wrote.