Rear fog lights...

Lum

iolanthe07 wrote: »

It could be accidental. I switched mine on with my knee when I got in the car and never noticed until people behind kept flashing.

Do you drive an S13 200SX by any chance? The switch on those is murder for that and the warning light ends up hidden behind the steering wheel and/or your knee.

On my car the warning light is on the switch itself, and the switch is so low down and far back it's better described as a switch under the dash. At least the switch is very difficult to reach though.

darich

smitchy73 wrote: »

Well, why not in this wonderful world of technology, put a speed governor on cars when fog lights, front or rear are switched on, speed limited to 30/40 mph.

Decent idea in principle but you answered your own question in the rest of your post - the idiots driving too fast that you mentioned probably did so because they felt they could be easily seen.
So by limiting speed whith foglights on, aforementioned idiots would simply stop using foglights and drive fast anyway. Other idiots would by pass the system and have foglights on and allow speed limiter to be bypassed......so we're back to where we are now!!!

darich

Last couple of cars I've had the fog lights switch is operated in such a way that when the headlamps are turned off, the foglamps are also switched off. Older cars the foglamp is a seperate switch and can be left on for days after the fog has lifted.
My current car, headlamps turn on by turning a dial on a dash. Front fogs by pulling out one click, rear fogs by pulling another click. To turn the headlamps off, both sets of foglamps are also switched off - it's as if the dial is on a threaded switch so as it is turned anticlockwise to swtich off the lights, it also retracts back into the dash and undoes both clicks for the foglamps.

Having said all the above, in my 20 or so years of driving, I've only ever used my rear foglights half a dozen times. Not necessary in urban area with traffic in front and behind.

Lum

I hate that 2 position foglight switch that German cars use.

Rears should be used when visibility is down to 100 yards, according to the highway code. Fronts should be used when visibility is not much beyond the edge of your bonnet.

That switch forces you to turn the fronts on first.

real1314

Viper_7 wrote: »

If you can't see then you're driving too fast for the conditions, very silly just relying on lights.

Define "see"; Very silly relying on an undefined parameter to call someone silly. Oh and I'd said that the lights become "less visible", not that I couldn't "see" them.

To be honest if you can't "see" you should stop dead. You're blind.

Do you stop at night when you can't "see" on an unlit road without lights? Or do you rely on your car's lights? And inevitably on those of the vehicle in front? Or can you see the silhouette of a car without the lights during complete darkness?

btw I was in a vehicle doing about 180mph in heavy fog last week. :cool:

darich

Lum wrote: »

I hate that 2 position foglight switch that German cars use.

Rears should be used when visibility is down to 100 yards, according to the highway code. Fronts should be used when visibility is not much beyond the edge of your bonnet.

That switch forces you to turn the fronts on first.

Agree with you on the visibility....although highway code says 100m rather than 100yds.
Couldn't find any difference in the distance specified for front or rear though.

savemoney

Correction

Some people are idiots

Wig wrote: »

People are idiots, what can you do? And that includes the front foglight brigade.

darich

real1314 wrote: »

btw I was in a vehicle doing about 180mph in heavy fog last week. :cool:

hmmmm....an aeroplane has wheels....so is it considered a vehicle?
or was it a train??

What's the prize for guessing??:D

savemoney

I think I have only had mine on once or twice in around 3 years mainly because dont drive that much. I did use them recently in fog but I turn lights off when there is a gap and back on again if fog turns up

Dont see need to have them on in town unless ist really bad, being on coats we get fair amount of sea fret but its not as thick as fog

Wig

It depends where you are in the country for fog my theory is that the South especially the coastal areas in the South don't get fog. whereas inland areas will get fog. The last time I experienced heavy fog was around 1988 in South Wales.