Rear fog light idiots

andygb

Strider590 wrote: »

The first thing they should do is put some f**king lights on!!!!!!!! THEN slow down, THEN think about fog lights!!!!!!

Preferably the lights should come on as soon as they realise there's a low mist, before they even encounter the fog, but all too many think "it's ok, I can see all right" ("im all right jack") :mad:

Wow, I have actually thanked Strider.;)
This whole thread about foglights, merely highlights the fact that most people do not see why they are necessary.
For what its worth, if there is a light mist of heavy drizzle, I use sidelights.
If there is heavy rain plus mist, then the dipped main lights go on.
If there is fog, and there are fog warnings, then I tend to put the fog lights on.
We had some heavy fog last week, and I had all the lights on, and so did most people. However, there were the 10% (a lot of whom were young and using the outside lane), who had decided that NO LIGHTS AT ALL was the order of the day.
Madness!

Flyboy152

andygb wrote: »

Wow, I have actually thanked Strider.;)
This whole thread about foglights, merely highlights the fact that most people do not see why they are necessary.
For what its worth, if there is a light mist of heavy drizzle, I use sidelights.
If there is heavy rain plus mist, then the dipped main lights go on.
If there is fog, and there are fog warnings, then I tend to put the fog lights on.
We had some heavy fog last week, and I had all the lights on, and so did most people. However, there were the 10% (a lot of whom were young and using the outside lane), who had decided that NO LIGHTS AT ALL was the order of the day.
Madness!

Oddly enough, I find it is the not so young, mostly driving BMW 3 Serieses, Audi A4s and A6s, Mercedes C Classes and Mondeos.

Wig

andygb wrote: »

Wow, I have actually thanked Strider.;)
This whole thread about foglights, merely highlights the fact that most people do not see why they are necessary.
For what its worth, if there is a light mist of heavy drizzle, I use sidelights.
If there is heavy rain plus mist, then the dipped main lights go on.
If there is fog, and there are fog warnings, then I tend to put the fog lights on.
We had some heavy fog last week, and I had all the lights on, and so did most people. However, there were the 10% (a lot of whom were young and using the outside lane), who had decided that NO LIGHTS AT ALL was the order of the day.
Madness!

Could you see all the cars infront of you far into the distance ahead of you? That is to say you could see the outline of the cars (not just the fog light) or you could see the taillights of the ones who just had normal lights on but not fog lights. If so, then IMHO you were using fog lights inappropriately.

What part would "fog warnings" have to play in this?
I get the impression you put them on just because "there is fog" not because the fog is so thick that visibility is reduced to 100-200 yards & turning them off if the car behind is obviously close enough to see you without your fogs on and turning them off in patches where visibility improves.

Bongles

andygb wrote: »

This whole thread about foglights, merely highlights the fact that most people do not see why they are necessary.

Seems to me that it more highlights that there are loads of people out there who don't understand when they're not necessary. But then that's hardly a new problem. This topic comes up at about this time every year, and I'm sure that will continue.

andygb wrote: »

However, there were the 10% (a lot of whom were young and using the outside lane), who had decided that NO LIGHTS AT ALL was the order of the day.

I must have been luckier than you in my one drive in the fog last week. I only saw one car with no lights. No idea how old the driver was.

SHIPSHAPE

andygb wrote: »

Wow, I have actually thanked Strider.;)
This whole thread about foglights, merely highlights the fact that most people do not see why they are necessary.

I started this thread because some burk had their fog lights on in front of me in nose to tail city centre traffic and where fog was present but only on the horizon, probably miles away.

Why was it necessary for that old duffer to have fog lights on?

When I pointed it out to him he said he had them on as there was fog in the distance. Unbelievable stupidity.

In fact, he could/should have got booked for it.



For what its worth, if there is a light mist of heavy drizzle, I use sidelights.
If there is heavy rain plus mist, then the dipped main lights go on.
If there is fog, and there are fog warnings, then I tend to put the fog lights on.

But you don't have to put fog lights on just because there are fog warnings, you put them on if your visibilty is reduced to warrant putting them on.

We had some heavy fog last week, and I had all the lights on, and so did most people. However, there were the 10% (a lot of whom were young and using the outside lane), who had decided that NO LIGHTS AT ALL was the order of the day.
Madness!

I bet you're the type of driver who also puts their hazards on if you are ever being towed.

System

Wig wrote: »

Could you see all the cars infront of you far into the distance ahead of you? That is to say you could see the outline of the cars (not just the fog light) or you could see the taillights of the ones who just had normal lights on but not fog lights. If so, then IMHO you were using fog lights inappropriately.

What part would "fog warnings" have to play in this?
I get the impression you put them on just because "there is fog" not because the fog is so thick that visibility is reduced to 100-200 yards & turning them off if the car behind is obviously close enough to see you without your fogs on and turning them off in patches where visibility improves.

You may be ignoring the fact that fog is often patchy so can suddenly become much thicker, so it may be appropriate to have the fog lights on in these changeable conditions since it may be more distracting for you and others to continually use the fog light switch(es) just as you enter or emerge from a fog bank

Although I agree it could be inappropriate to use fog lights whilst driving in heavy traffic on slow roads through towns for example.

I assume your comment re. cars behind being close enough to see you without your fogs on would not include the idiots who drive too close for the road conditions, that is when rear fogs help them leave a suitable gap when there is bad visibility.

newfoundglory

Its funny someone should bring this up. When I was driving home yesterday I was behind two cars who appeared to be using their fog lights. Very strange indeed - clear night - not a patch of fog anywhere to be seen.

Bongles

BAA1 wrote: »

it may be appropriate to have the fog lights on in these changeable conditions since it may be more distracting for you and others to continually use the fog light switch(es) just as you enter or emerge from a fog bank

Do you think it's any more distracting than, for example, continually switching between main and dipped headlights in normal night driving?

Bongles

newfoundglory wrote: »

Its funny someone should bring this up. When I was driving home yesterday I was behind two cars who appeared to be using their fog lights. Very strange indeed - clear night - not a patch of fog anywhere to be seen.

Perhaps they have not yet remembered to return their fog light switch to the off position since they used it a few days ago? Some cars have a toggle switch, so even if the fog light was on when you last drove, it won't come back on when you next drive. But others have a two position switch and until you remember to put the switch back to the off position, the light will be on whenever you're driving.

System

Bongles wrote: »

Do you think it's any more distracting than, for example, continually switching between main and dipped headlights in normal night driving?

Absolutely, YES

The main beam switch is normally on a steering column stalk for ease of access, why do you think motor manufacturers put the main beam switch there ?

Fog light switches are normally slightly out of the way, near the main light switch and you normally have to look or feel for the switch until you find it, and if you have both front and rear fogs on two individual switches, then because you only use the fogs rarely, you can never remember which switch operates the front and which the back fogs.
So that answers the distraction question for you, the driver.

Then for the distraction question re. other road users, you should not distract other road users with main beam lights, since you should have reactions which allow you to switch to dipped beam before other road users get close enough to be distracted.

Having said the above, I only use my fogs when it is appropriate to do so, and I do not forget to switch them off. (Although with a good quality car, the fogs are switched off with the main light switch and do not come back on the next time you use the side lights)