An old topic, maybe, but how should front fog lights be used?
The only time I have actually found them to be useful was in a blizzard (over Shap Moor on the M6) when the main headlights, even on dipped, reflecting off the falling snow caused 'blindness'. Switching off the headlights and on to sidelights and putting the fog lights on enabled me to see again, although admittedly not very far. This was at night time, so I was worried about not having headlights on, but as they were blinding me, I had no choicer.
Is this their proper role?
Simply switching them on in foggy conditions doesn't seem to help matters.
Dave
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The falling snow conditions which you describe are the only occasion when I have found them to be of any use. In that role they were excellent.
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I'd agree with Brian - last winter in the snow up on the moors in Yorkshire, I'd have loved my front fogs back; I found it difficult to make progress using the dipped main - ended up using side lights, which, yes is a bit dodgy, but I could actually see more.
Otherwise I'd say they're just a fashion accessory, and moreover an annoyance when used in appropriately - i.e. when it's not foggy
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Dave,
I had a long conversation about this with Bogush in a much much earlier thread. To be honest I am fortunate that I cannot recall being out in snowy conditions as bad as you describe. But I can imagine that in this case it would be possible for them to be an improvement.
In fog, and I mean really thick fog, like 10m visibility then this is possibly the only time that fog lights give better vision than dipped heads, especially if you screw the adjustment all the way down. But to do that they have to be set at an angle that still dazzles oncoming traffic. Of course when its that bad two things come to mind, the visibility is so bad that 10 mph max is the order of the day, and should you even be out in it?
S
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Stuart B wrote:
>is so bad that 10 mph max is the order of the day, and should you even be out in it?
Fair comment,
I'd rather have not been out in it, but was on my way home when I got caught, and nowhere else to go :(
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I thought the regulations stated that fog and falling snow were the only times front fog lights should be used. I can remember a friend dancing with delight when it was snowing at home time. He rushed out to remove the covers from the fog lights on his spitfire: many years ago now of course. Perhaps if covers were made compulsory, no one would bother unless the conditions really were bad. Probably those that use them most now would use them least when really needed.
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With all the technology around today (Citroen C5 for example), surely it's possible to have a sensor to determine whether there is fog or not, then switch the fog lights on automatically.
Andy
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In my car you can't have the rear fogs on without the front ones - is that true of most modern cars then? So although they might not help, if it's foggy enough to need the rears on, you've no choice.
As for Citroen technology, sensors for things like automatic wipers don't seem to be very sensitive at all, so I wouldn't hold out much hope for the fogs (yes I know I could switch them on myself: we've been through this before. But it's a gizmo, and I want it to work. And it's the only intermittent wipe it's got. O.K.?)
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In my car it seems the rear ones will only come on (even if you try to switch them on) if your front mains are on full beam.
dan
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That's true of the Daewoo I look after too Carole.
Just being looking at your stats, we need more than three doses of good sense a month.....please.
David
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Use them only when driving up and down Weston-Super-Mare, or similar sea-side promenade.
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I think that the regs. state that fog lights (front or rear) may only be used when the visibility is 100 metres or less.
I can only conclude that there are a lot of people who can only see 100 metres and therefore should not be on the road. :-)
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I get so utterly pissed off with people driving at me with their stupid fog lights on that I have taken to flashing the main beams at them.
I am certain this has no effect at all,but at least I feel Iam doing something.
Its just a shame our wonderful police force would rather waste their time booking people for trying to keep the traffic flowing than for lighting faults.
Once,on a 300 mile,very boring trip,I computed that one car in ten was committing a lighting offence.
Oh,its not sour grapes,or something,I have a clean licence..........amazingly.
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I prefer to call front-fogs "vanity lights" :~)
Once suggestion I've heard which hasn't appeared in this thread is that maybe fog-lights (front and rear) should only illuminate below a certain speed, say 30mph; if you can see well enough to drive above 30mph, then you don't need the fog-lights on.
I would have thought it would be fairly trivial to build such a feature into cars (no more difficult than "facelifting" the headlight lenses every year or two), and it would be more reliable than having some device trying to "guess" if it's foggy.
Can anyone think of a situation where you'd really need fog-lights at higher speeds? The big dinner-plates mounted on rally cars are driving-lights, not fog-lights, so they don't count.
For real-world (non-sports) driving, I can't see how having fog-lights automatically restricted would be a problem.
Any thoughts?
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Robin
You are about right on your faulty lights statistics.
I do about 20 miles each way of my daily journey on fairly open country roads with the national (60mph) limit.
When going home in the dark there is often a block of traffic going one way or the other at about 40 mph led by a car with only one headlight working.
Or one vehicle on its own coming towards you that looks like a motorcycle until you get within 20 yards and it turns into a lory.
And loads of vehicles with only one brake light.
I don't believe that all those bulbs only failed in the last day or so. Drivers just are not checking their vehicles, and if they are not looking at the simplest things like lights, what other potentially lethal faults are being missed.
It seems that a system of random vehicle checks would do more for safety than mobile speed cameras.
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Robin: does that mean that if it's foggy enough to need fogs, and I'm driving towards you - at a reasonable speed, of course - (bearing in mind I've got no choice but to have the fronts on) you'll flash at me too (if you'll pardon the expression)? So then you might have distracted me, or at least made me feel aggrieved at having been flashed, and then I might have to go home and take it out on the dog.
>Just being looking at your stats, we need more than three doses of good sense a month.....please.
David: I'm sure you'll be getting loads of good sense without me, but thanks for the comment! (See, I can do it now!)
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