Fog Lights

Butts · 14 Jan 2016

Moving on from Traffic Lights my next query involves Fog Lights.

Why do so many cars drive about at night with their fog lights on when there is no fog ?

Am I missing something ?

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Wallsendmag · 14 Jan 2016

Because it's cool , what's even cooler though are LED lights you don't get fog lights with them.

Butts · 14 Jan 2016

Wallsendmag said:
Because it's cool , what's even cooler though are LED lights you don't get fog lights with them.

Really, what's cool about it ?

DarloRich · 14 Jan 2016

because the drivers doing it are idiots............

AM9 · 14 Jan 2016

Butts said:
Moving on from Traffic Lights my next query involves Fog Lights.

Why do so many cars drive about at night with their fog lights on when there is no fog ?

Am I missing something ?

Because they are just as careless as those fools who forget to put any lights on at all in lit up areas. Then there are the simpletons who drive around on parking lights, even on unlit motorways!

Minilad · 14 Jan 2016

Even worse for me as I live on a winding country road is the selfish oafs who have main beam on and don't dip when approaching you.

90019 · 14 Jan 2016

Butts said:
Why do so many cars drive about at night with their fog lights on when there is no fog ?

Because they don't understand that fog lights aren't angled like headlights and are often dazzling for oncoming traffic.
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Minilad said:
Even worse for me as I live on a winding country road is the selfish oafs who have main beam on and don't dip when approaching you.

In that situation I just put mine back on until they realise, which works most of the time.

AM9 · 14 Jan 2016

90019 said:
Because they don't understand that fog lights aren't angled like headlights and are often dazzling for oncoming traffic.

If you are talking about the secondary lights usually fitted closer to the ground than the main headlamps, many of those are 'Driving Lamps' which do not have the flat beam and are not intended as fog lamps. Real fog lamps are still cut off to reduce dazzle from reflection off the fog/snow and for oncoming drivers. The driving lamps are the sort that were popular when rallying became techy with over 1kW of QI lighting on cars.
They are most distracting when insecurely mounted or on floppy glass fibre bodywork. This makes them flicker at everybody they approach.

Kernowfem · 14 Jan 2016

New cars these days have "driving lights" fitted which are automatic. They do resemble the old style front fog lights. I've noticed that with the introduction of halogen bulbs I'm getting more dazzled. I drive a Volvo V40 and the amount of times I've been flashed by other motorists who think I've got my full beam on is ridiculous, I havent, my lights are just very bright.

I can over ride the auto head light system but my driving lights are on full time. One thing that does annoy me this time of year is vehicles being so dirty you can't read the number plate. It's hardly time consuming to give them a quick wipe over.

chris89 · 14 Jan 2016

Kernowfem said:
New cars these days have "driving lights" fitted which are automatic. They do resemble the old style front fog lights. I've noticed that with the introduction of halogen bulbs I'm getting more dazzled. I drive a Volvo V40 and the amount of times I've been flashed by other motorists who think I've got my full beam on is ridiculous, I havent, my lights are just very bright.

I can over ride the auto head light system but my driving lights are on full time. One thing that does annoy me this time of year is vehicles being so dirty you can't read the number plate. It's hardly time consuming to give them a quick wipe over.

If that still happens it is pretty stupid. When my dad had leased a Disco 3, Volvo V70. Same thing happened and those have Daylight Running Lights. Although those both used dipped headlight. Which most cars do use or some form of LEDS. Like the current car we have. Which is a 2015 Ford Kuga.

With Fog light use, Many people have no idea when to use them or just think they always look cool. Worse still is the people who have them fitted (Most cars) and don't use them when your supposed to or lights at all.

Wallsendmag · 14 Jan 2016

Butts said:
Really, what's cool about it ?

Nothing whatsoever imho

Kernowfem · 14 Jan 2016

chris89 said:
If that still happens it is pretty stupid. When my dad had leased a Disco 3, Volvo V70. Same thing happened and those have Daylight Running Lights. Although those both used dipped headlight. Which most cars do use or some form of LEDS. Like the current car we have. Which is a 2015 Ford Kuga.

With Fog light use, Many people have no idea when to use them or just think they always look cool. Worse still is the people who have them fitted (Most cars) and don't use them when your supposed to or lights at all.

My disco is an old version so I have no problems with that. Lights on lights off, same with the fogs. I've followed people who have rear fogs on in just rain. It's pretty annoying.

Common sense seems to be sadly lacking nowadays.
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Wallsendmag said:
Nothing whatsoever imho

Try telling that to a boy racer. Fashion these days requires them to leave their brains at home and over load that Clio with every modification known to man...including stupid coloured light bulbs.

455driver · 14 Jan 2016

AM9 said:
Because they are just as careless as those fools who forget to put any lights on at all in lit up areas. Then there are the simpletons who drive around on parking lights,

I recommend you look at the rules around lighting, especially in built up (ie 30mph) areas.

chris89 · 14 Jan 2016

Kernowfem said:
My disco is an old version so I have no problems with that. Lights on lights off, same with the fogs. I've followed people who have rear fogs on in just rain. It's pretty annoying.

Common sense seems to be sadly lacking nowadays.

Common sense is very much so.

Rear fog-lights left on are beyond annoying.

Can be certain what cars will leave foglights on at all time or never bother with lights in bad weather.

Kernowfem · 14 Jan 2016

chris89 said:
Common sense is very much so.

Rear fog-lights left on are beyond annoying.

Can be certain what cars will leave foglights on at all time or never bother with lights in bad weather.

Oh too right! Certain vehicles stand out a mile. But I don't want to be classed as a stereo typer. I have enough of that myself owning a land rover. We are all ignorant road hogs with huge egos. Till the bad weather arrives, then we are every motorists best friend.

Five years ago I helped rescue 12 people trapped in derbyshire, and have helped a lot of people who ignored snow warnings and tried to get where they knew their vehicle wouldn't cope. Although I was very well thanked, which was nice

tsr · 14 Jan 2016

90019 said:
In that situation I just put mine back on until they realise, which works most of the time.

Weirdly, I am one of very few who will prefer full beam from other road users - the driving position in my vehicle is really low (it's an extremely rare vehicle based on a small French off-road buggy, and yes it is "road-legal") which means that dipped lights are actually worse! The curve of the windscreen also means that the effect is mildly magnified too. I wouldn't ever put full beam back on in retaliation (not sure if that's what you mean) if someone did that to me while I was driving a normal vehicle, as that's just doubling the risk. However, sometimes by necessity I find that I still seriously need the visibility/contrast that the full beam gives whilst getting a bit close to other traffic, which is where I find it is tricky to judge how far away to turn it off. It's safer to slow down a bit so you can see more clearly with dipped lights, but of course then you become a slow-moving target for road rage in the view of some. I find it a bit tricky really, especially when the road is unfamiliar and badly-marked. Oh well.

455driver · 14 Jan 2016

tsr said:
sometimes by necessity I find that I still seriously need the visibility/contrast that the full beam gives whilst getting a bit close to other traffic, which is where I find it is tricky to judge how far away to turn it off.

Basic rule of thumb, if you can see tail lights in front of you then you shouldn't be using full beam!

One of my pet hates (I have loads of them

) is people behind me with full beam on, I normally slow down a bit, then once they have passed me I speed back up and put my full beam on to return the favour, I also have a couple of hundred watt spots wired in with my full beam for maximum effect! :lol:

You blind me, I blind you, seems fair to me!

chris89 · 14 Jan 2016

Kernowfem said:
Oh too right! Certain vehicles stand out a mile. But I don't want to be classed as a stereo typer. I have enough of that myself owning a land rover. We are all ignorant road hogs with huge egos. Till the bad weather arrives, then we are every motorists best friend.

Five years ago I helped rescue 12 people trapped in derbyshire, and have helped a lot of people who ignored snow warnings and tried to get where they knew their vehicle wouldn't cope. Although I was very well thanked, which was nice

That happens if you own any form of 4x4 (Including 'Soft Roaders' like the Ford Kuga) I remember many years ago when my dad had a Jeep Grand Cherokee, we helped save many people from heavy flooding when was in Somerset (Over 12 years ago). As we were suddenly everyone's best friend.

Back to Foglights they are joint hated things when used incorrectly, are mobile phones. But thats another thread.

Chris

tsr · 14 Jan 2016

455driver said:
Basic rule of thumb, if you can see tail lights in front of you then you shouldn't be using full beam!

Yes, agreed, when referring to traffic going in the same direction - I mean traffic approaching in the other direction from a long way off. I can't just reduce my visibility as soon as I see a headlight in the distance; on some routes it's not feasible to go for three quarters of a mile on a road with no signs, no cats' eyes and no markings to speak of, and expect to see where I'm going at any reasonable speed with just dipped lights!

Minilad · 14 Jan 2016

Kernowfem said:
Oh too right! Certain vehicles stand out a mile. But I don't want to be classed as a stereo typer. I have enough of that myself owning a land rover. We are all ignorant road hogs with huge egos. Till the bad weather arrives, then we are every motorists best friend.

Five years ago I helped rescue 12 people trapped in derbyshire, and have helped a lot of people who ignored snow warnings and tried to get where they knew their vehicle wouldn't cope. Although I was very well thanked, which was nice

I'm surprised you got the disco to start

Kernowfem · 14 Jan 2016

Minilad said:
I'm surprised you got the disco to start

I had £50 quid on that response. Mucho thanks

Wallsendmag · 14 Jan 2016

TTS and S3 here , my other lighting pet hate is headlamps out . Nearly all modern cars will have warnings but every other car seems to have a bulb out

AM9 · 14 Jan 2016

455driver said:
I recommend you look at the rules around lighting, especially in built up (ie 30mph) areas.

I knew that already but for the record, the (relevant) rules for lighting in built up (i.e. 30mph) areas from the Highway Code are:

Rule 113

You MUST

ensure all sidelights and rear registration plate lights are lit between sunset and sunrise
use headlights at night, except on a road which has lit street lighting. These roads are generally restricted to a speed limit of 30 mph (48 km/h) unless otherwise specified
use headlights when visibility is seriously reduced (see Rule 226).

Rule 115

You should also

use dipped headlights, or dim-dip if fitted, at night in built-up areas and in dull daytime weather, to ensure that you can be seen

Rule 226

You MUST use headlights when visibility is seriously reduced, generally when you cannot see for more than 100 metres (328 feet). You may also use front or rear fog lights but you MUST switch them off when visibility improves (see Rule 236).

My original point was that some numpties drive on unlit unrestricted roads including motorways with just parking lights on. Many is the time where I've looked in a door mirror and seen a gap between cars approaching in the lane to my right, only at the last minute to have to abort because I've just about seen a pair (or only one sometimes) of parking lights, no brighter than the random relections of car bodies. It's probably the case that they forgot to turn them on after driving around town like that (saving the battery), but that just shows a lack of due care and attention.
There is nothing in the HC that says that you can't drive under dipped headlights in a 30mph area, but you are encouraged to put extra lights on if you need them.
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Wallsendmag said:
TTS and S3 here , my other lighting pet hate is headlamps out . Nearly all modern cars will have warnings but every other car seems to have a bulb out

TTS & S3. What are they, rules in the Highway Code?

Mojo · 14 Jan 2016

I often flash my foglights on and off when I see a FF (Foglight Ficko) driving past in the other direction.

Domh245 · 14 Jan 2016

AM9 said:
TTS & S3. What are they, rules in the Highway Code?

Types of Audi

Butts · 14 Jan 2016

Wallsendmag said:
TTS and S3 here , my other lighting pet hate is headlamps out . Nearly all modern cars will have warnings but every other car seems to have a bulb out

I certainly agree with that, particularly when you are driving in rural areas which are unlit.

Suddenly a "cyclops" appears in your rear view mirror - most disconcerting. A lot of them utilise "full beam" to compensate if it is the "dipped" bulb gone which makes matters even worse.

beeza1 · 14 Jan 2016

According to a friend of mine, a retired police officer, you can only use fog lights when it is foggy, obviously, or when there is falling snow, otherwise you are committing an offence, though he has never heard of anyone being prosecuted.
Regarding cars with only one headlight working, this could be down to the cost of a replacement bulb, I understand it can cost over £100 to have a bulb changed on some of the modern cars.

carriageline · 14 Jan 2016

Domh245 said:
Types of Audi

Willy waving I think!! I trump tho, RS6

pdq · 14 Jan 2016

With all new cars having DRLs (daylight running lights) it's becoming a bit too common to see drivers forgetting to put full lights on because the DRLs light up ahead of the car, resulting in no tail lamps.

jon0844 · 14 Jan 2016

I'm amazed the EU decided on no rear lights in the day, even though the energy consumption multiplied by all vehicles would have been high (but still tiny for LEDs).

All cars like this should have automatic lights.

Fog Lights

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