aww! I have just been driving with no lights in night...

JustinR1979

Hermione_Granger wrote: »

If it's in a built up area with a 30mph limit and streetlighting then what they are doing is perfectly legal providing that there is nothing else such as fog or rain affecting visibility. (not advisable IMO, but still legal)

I didn't refer to the legal position, more the point that you can barely see a black car with dim sidelights in the dark.
In central London you'd think professional drivers would want to be visible

AdrianC

JustinR1979 wrote: »

I didn't refer to the legal position, more the point that you can barely see a black car with dim sidelights in the dark.
In central London you'd think professional drivers would want to be visible

In most of That London, there's so much other lighting that you'd see it perfectly well even without any lights.

Wig

Panika,

Good on you for posting what your mistake was, and sorry to see you are getting abuse from idiots.

Also you need to be aware what and where your fog lights are and how to turn them on and off. Because sometimes when you are driving with your lights on you will be honked and flashed, because you have your fog lights on when it is inappropriate to have them on.

Only put them on the severest of Fog or heavy, heavy rain, If the cars in front of you don't have them on and you can see those cars clearly at 200 metres or more, then you do not need to have your fog lights on.

JustinR1979

AdrianC wrote: »

In most of That London, there's so much other lighting that you'd see it perfectly well even without any lights.

If you say so, every single road has brilliant lighting in your world obviously.

notanewuser

ey_up wrote: »

I find it the best routine is to always switch the lights on no matter what the weather or time of day. Helps people see me and I swear it reduces the number of people pulling out in front of me. Best to be seen and all that.

Perhaps you should just buy a Volvo.

AdrianC

JustinR1979 wrote: »

If you say so, every single road has brilliant lighting in your world obviously.

I think there's a streetlight five miles from here. If not, then I think the nearest is probably ten miles.

JustinR1979

AdrianC wrote: »

I think there's a streetlight five miles from here. If not, then I think the nearest is probably ten miles.

In central London...
Street lighting or not, 2 candles in the front of a black car aren't too visible when it's dark/raining/misty.

topdaddy_2

Wig wrote: »

Panika,

Good on you for posting what your mistake was, and sorry to see you are getting abuse from idiots.

Also you need to be aware what and where your fog lights are and how to turn them on and off. Because sometimes when you are driving with your lights on you will be honked and flashed, because you have your fog lights on when it is inappropriate to have them on.

Only put them on the severest of Fog or heavy, heavy rain, If the cars in front of you don't have them on and you can see those cars clearly at 200 metres or more, then you do not need to have your fog lights on.

Bad advice. The highway code states 100m.
Ive been pulled by plod in misty conditions with fog lights on.

Wig

topdaddy wrote: »

Bad advice. The highway code states 100m.
Ive been pulled by plod in misty conditions with fog lights on.

Does it? I was going to say 100m but then I thought I would get replies on here saying that's too near, for example if you are diriving at 50mph on a motorway and the road appears to be empty in front of you ,,,,

But actually, I have just realised how it would work in practice
If visibility is 100m then with foglights on you might get visibility at 150m or 200m (compared to without foglights)
so 150m - 200m is probably going to be enough to slow down and over take with caution.

Still, I doubt plod would stop a car with foglights on in 200m visibility conditions, that's still pretty seriously bad visibility.

You probably had them on in conditions totally inappropriate like when you can see all the cars tail lights (without their fog lights on) ahead of you for 1/2 mile or more.

AdrianC

HC rule 226 says headlights MUST be used when visibility is 100m, fog lights MAY be - but you MUST turn fog lights off when visibility "improves".
https://www.gov.uk/driving-adverse-weather-conditions-226-to-237/overview-226

100m visibility is fairly seriously foggy - it certainly isn't the average lightish misty morning.