Re. HJs answer to DB Peterborough on the purpose of fog-lights in the Telegraph on 5 th Aug.

The BR members are often scathing of the use of fog-lights at all hours of the day and night. They are basically a styling feature. How often do we get fog nowadays ? Remembering the ‘smog’ of my youth days, fog lights were pretty useless then too.

If the acronym DRL refers to ‘Daytime Running Lights’, then I became accustomed to DRLs when I owned a Volvo 440. Since then I have my dipped headlights permanently switched on. – if only because I because I then don’t forgot to switch the lights on at dusk.

But, relying on DRLs can have dangers if one does not switch the headlights on.

Are there any safeguards to remind the driver of the new cars with DRLs to switch on the headlights ? Indeed, what form do the DRLs on the new cars take ?

I have known people who refuse to use headlights in areas with good street lighting because they can see very well and regard their sidelights as adequate to be seen by pedestrians. That may be OK on dry nights, but on gloomy nights when the roads are wet after rain the effect is quite different. The sidelights on an oncoming car can be indistinguishable from the reflections on the road surfaces of streetlights and all of the other lighting around the road. The wet car can also reflect street lights, especially so when the car colour is dark. When turning out from a side road I’ve once or twice had to brake sharply when I realised that a dark coloured car with sidelights only was approaching fast and close.

P.S. Can I suggest that Shaun the Sheep be nominated as new Minister for Transport ? He is the candidate most likely to sort things out !