Fog Lights

[sippo]

Yes its foggy but its not that foggy! I can see you, you can see me. All your lights are doing is giving me a headache. Oh and its not cool.

 

The highway code says you need to use them when visibility is less than 100 yards. Its no where near that especially in built up areas!!

 

Grrr.

 

Thank god its friday!

[tech_guy]

And why, when it's an insy-winsy little bit foggy, do you always get someone with their headlamps on full-beam, driving at 20 miles an hour down the centre of the road? If that was you on the B4114 this morning then you need a kick up the backside. Were you blind as well as stupid and thus unable to see the quarter mile tailback you were causing?! Idiot.

[CESIL]

I have a little game I play...if a car comes towards me with foglights on when not needed I shout the word *rse extremely loudly at it...

 

...does no good whatsoever of course but it does de-stress me wonderfully...

 

ps I only do this when I am alone in the car...

pps Actually these days I am shouting it so often I am getting hoarse...

[elsiegee40]

Round here the fog is very patchy. So, you'll be driving in extremely thick fog for a while and then it thins out to next to nothing. Under those circumstances, I am lazy about switching them off and on every few minutes.

[Guest theeldergeek]

Yes its foggy but its not that foggy! I can see you, you can see me. All your lights are doing is giving me a headache. Oh and its not cool.

 

The highway code says you need to use them when visibility is less than 100 yards. Its no where near that especially in built up areas!!

 

Grrr.

 

Thank god its friday!

 

 

 

Foggy down here - East Sussex - enough for me to put both front and back fogs on this morning, oh and look cool into the bargain

 

But I know where you are coming from, some drivers just put them on regardless.

[sippo]

Round here the fog is very patchy. So, you'll be driving in extremely thick fog for a while and then it thins out to next to nothing. Under those circumstances, I am lazy about switching them off and on every few minutes.

 

Which in a way is understandable, its in built up area's which infuriates me the most!

[Andrew_C]

Front fogs...? ONLY to be used when you are going SO slowly that you are relying on seeing the curb to find your way. No damned use at all otherwise!

[Gatt]

Not foggy here this morning - but very icy.

The ones that irritates me are the ones who sit with their foot on the brake for longer than they should - especially when its a 4x4 or van ..

 

My response ... hang a biot further back and stick my Full Beam on

 

Brake on - F/B on

Brake Off - F/B Off

etc

etc

 

Did this along a 2 mile stretch where it was very slow (mainly stationary) traffic on the M60 and the 4x4 in front just sat on the brake constantly..

[laserblazer]

It's drivers who put their rear fog lights on when it's raining that I hate. All they do is create a glare that reduces visibility for those behind. However, if it's gloomy and I see other cars with their headlights on, then I put mine on even if I can see alright. I work on the principal that they put the lights on because they can't see so well.

[ahuxham]

Round here the fog is very patchy. So, you'll be driving in extremely thick fog for a while and then it thins out to next to nothing. Under those circumstances, I am lazy about switching them off and on every few minutes.

 

Same here, and was doing the exact same the other night, only to get pulled over, breathalysed, car checked over and than fined £70 for fog-light misuse

[capncrunch]

Even though i do not do it myself, people who use front fog lights all the time I do not find a problem, as long as they are only using a 50w bulb and have them suitabley directed then i can't see the problem.

 

Peronsally i think Xenon lights are more of an issue whether they are OEM or added at a later date they are just horrible and cause so much glare so when comes the other way (Twice as bad if they are some 3rd party creation and the colour temperature is past the legal Kelvin rating) you can't see jack.

[WStore_Dan]

You want to try being on a motorbike when someone on the other side of the road has full beam on and it's pitch black - not cool! It's hard enough to see the road in front as it is without being blinded in the process!

[BandyQuill]

i have a cheeky set of full beam HIDs for when i see people with fog lights on day or night... most of the time they have to pull over and quickly learn...

 

the other one is when people are behind me i flick my rear fogs on and off as fast as possible untill they get the idea...

 

failing all of those i get out of the car with a tyre iron and batter them XD

[LeMarchand]

Peronsally i think Xenon lights are more of an issue whether they are OEM or added at a later date they are just horrible and cause so much glare so when comes the other way (Twice as bad if they are some 3rd party creation and the colour temperature is past the legal Kelvin rating) you can't see jack.

 

Phew! It's not just me (I was beginning to think/hope that I was turning into a vampire with increased night vision). Some of those things are so bright that it's like they have their beams on full. (I have flashed people before only to be totally blinded when they flash back).

 

Of course it doesn't help that some morons do drive around constantly on full beam. I have quite often let someone through (in the middle of a well-lit town) and been "flashed" by the other driver who takes his beams off full briefly!

[Andrew_C]

It's drivers who put their rear fog lights on when it's raining that I hate.

Allowed in motorway spray and similar.

[sippo]

Allowed in motorway spray and similar.

 

Only if visibility is less than 100 metres.

[Batman]

And why, when it's an insy-winsy little bit foggy, do you always get someone with their headlamps on full-beam, driving at 20 miles an hour down the centre of the road? If that was you on the B4114 this morning then you need a kick up the backside. Were you blind as well as stupid and thus unable to see the quarter mile tailback you were causing?! Idiot.

 

Maybe the fog was unrelated. Maybe the driver in question had not bothered to de-mist their windscreen before setting off and therefore could see almost nothing Actually, having your full beams on in that sort of weather only serves to make matters worse because the light hits the fog and obscures whatever it was you could actually see before.

 

Still very stupid.

[Batman]

Same here, and was doing the exact same the other night, only to get pulled over, breathalysed, car checked over and than fined £70 for fog-light misuse

 

That's really unfair... sounds like they were looking for someone to book for something. Can you appeal?

[ahuxham]

That's really unfair... sounds like they were looking for someone to book for something. Can you appeal?

 

Indeed, the officer was a complete idiot, just went straight on his rampage, he could have told me to keep them off when not needed, even though I explained the situation, patchy fog, extreme rain, and trailing spray off every vehicle in front of me.

 

He said, he didn't care and that I should slow down, and keep more than 100 yards away from anything in front of me to stop spray, and my fogs should be off as he deemed the fog as slight.

 

I have appealed, and complained about his conduct, in regards to utter illogical thought, comments and his berating attitude on the subject.

 

Only problem, is I live in Bruton, Somerset and was fined in Rode in Wiltshire on the way to parents at 9:45pm. Which in turn implies that I now have to drive to Swindon to hear my case. Hopefully they just quash the whole thing, as its going to be a waste of everyones time. 110 mile round-trip.

[Guest theeldergeek]

Same here, and was doing the exact same the other night, only to get pulled over, breathalysed, car checked over and than fined £70 for fog-light misuse

 

And you paid it?

 

If it was foggy, and you had a legitimate reason to be using those lights (i.e. reduced visibility) then you had every right to have them on.

 

I'd appeal. Police might have certain powers, but on the spot p*$$ taking is not one of them.

 

edit : I see you have appealed, good luck with that.

Edited December 11, 2009 by theeldergeek
updated after further response from OP

[CHR1S]

Not foggy here this morning - but very icy.

The ones that irritates me are the ones who sit with their foot on the brake for longer than they should - especially when its a 4x4 or van ..

 

My response ... hang a biot further back and stick my Full Beam on

 

Brake on - F/B on

Brake Off - F/B Off

etc

etc

 

Did this along a 2 mile stretch where it was very slow (mainly stationary) traffic on the M60 and the 4x4 in front just sat on the brake constantly..

 

 

Amazingly they are all probably automatic cars and yes I do exactly the same in my auto! Yes you can put it into nutral and put the handbrake on but for stop start traffic its a nightmare especially if you pass reverse before you hit drive especialy if the impatient person behind thinks your going to reverse at them and uses their horn.

If you stuck your full beam on behind me you would be on the receiving end of a mouthful!

[Guest theeldergeek]

Front fogs...? ONLY to be used when you are going SO slowly that you are relying on seeing the curb to find your way. No damned use at all otherwise!

 

And what if, like me, you are deep in the countryside with no kerbs at the side of the road, just the occasional cow looking over the fence at you? And it's dawn, and there are no streetlights, and you feel like you are driving under and into a white cotton sheet?

 

I put my fogs on so cars coming in the opposite direction have no doubt that a car is heading their way. Four lights on the front of my vehicle makes a very obvious statement as does the brightly glowing rear fog lamp for anyone approaching from behind.

[soveryapt]

Man .. this sums it up brilliantly .. I was driving on a rather notorious road last night in the fog and all of a sudden, it cleared up .. yet the guy in front .. fog lights on all the way until the next patch (I would like to add that it wasn't patchy on off stuff, this next patch was a good 15minutes away on a 50mph road!)

 

My head hurt by the time I got home .. plus he was riding brakes too .. I mean why .. it's simple .. if you can't see .. DRIVE 'KING SLOWER IN THE FIRST PLACE then you don't have to ride on your brakes meaning those behind can't tell if you are braking for something or not ..

 

[ahuxham]

And you paid it?

 

If it was foggy, and you had a legitimate reason to be using those lights (i.e. reduced visibility) then you had every right to have them on.

 

I'd appeal. Police might have certain powers, but on the spot p*$$ taking is not one of them.

 

Appealed, I'm not paying because an Officer decided he wasn't getting enough at home and decided the public should be ousted for it.

 

Still waiting to hear back from them.

[westleya]

I live in Cumbria and in winter it's DARK, damp and frequently foggy. Even so I've NEVER had the need to use the front fogs on my car - they dazzle, irritate oncoming traffic and do make you look a bit daft...