In this month's CSMA magazine a correspondent suggests that foglights, front and rear, should be linked to engine management systems to limit speed to a maximum 50 mph if they are switched on. If it's foggy enough you shouldn't go faster than that anyway, if it's not the lights shouldn't be on anyway.
Car sluggish this morning? Was it foggy last night? I think we can diagnose that problem!
Sounds eminently sensible to me, what do others think?
Terry
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Anything to stop the "I've got some foglights and I'm gonna use 'em" brigade. Here's a thought, set the engine management system so that above say 60mph if you indicate to overtake and then haven't indicated to tuck back in, say within a minute, a large spike starts to emerge from the middle of the steering wheel. Should sort out the Central Lane Residents Association in a jiffy
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It isn`t the users of fog lights that bothers me.Its the vehicles with no lights at all or "side lights only, as I am saving my battery" concept.
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they'd just stop indicating before they pulled out (if they do at all) :-)
I have to grow old - but I don't have to grow up
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they'd just stop indicating before they pulled out (if they do at all) :-)
I have to grow old - but I don't have to grow up
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but then the fog lights would be turned off just to go faster regardless of the weather!
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People driving behind me with their foglights on and in particular on wet motorways p*** me off no end. Often to the point I return the favour by switching my rear fogs on to highlight the point.
Unfortunately though I don't agree with the "big brother" approach. It is akin to having a car that will not let you drive over a certain speed in a given zone. I want full control over my own car and the ability to drive it as I want to. I just wish there was a simple way to educate people in the error of their ways. This applies to all other motoring annoyances as well such as middle lane hogging!
I always fondly remember being out with my stepfather on a tractor (no trailer) heading back home along some country lanes late one night. I was always told to pull over and let car drivers by but you need a safe and appropriate place to do this. Along comes BMW 3 series, stereo on full, main beams and fogs on behind us. Driving literally feet from the back of the tractor (sensible!) he then started flashing us.
My stepfather responded by turning on the 6 (white) field lights which were attached to the back of the tractor. Now these are intended for night working and wouldn't have been disgraced on a football pitch. The BMW driver literally stood on his brakes and didn't actually pull away again for a minute or two when we were half a mile up the road - I have a feeling we may have dazzled him a little :) Wonder if it helped him reflect on the error of his ways?
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People driving behind me with their foglights on and in particular on wet motorways p*** me off no end. Often to the point I return the favour by switching my rear fogs on to highlight the point. My stepfather responded by turning on the 6 (white) field lights which were attached to the back of the tractor. Now these are intended for night working and wouldn't have been disgraced on a football pitch. The BMW driver literally stood on his brakes and didn't actually pull away again for a minute or two when we were half a mile up the road - I have a feeling we may have dazzled him a little :) Wonder if it helped him reflect on the error of his ways?
I do not agree with either of those actions.
[1] This only incites road rage.
[2] Wonder how your stepfather would feel if the BMW driver had been dazzled enough to cause him to lose controll and hit an oncoming car carrying children for instance.
Mal.
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[1] This only incites road rage.
So what is your suggestion when stuck in heavy traffic with some p****** behind you with his fogs on dazzling you? Carrys on the British tradition of never complaining about anything. About 50% of drivers take the hint whereby I turn mine off straight away. Those that don't I turn my mirror onto it's anti-dazzle setting and think "well stuff you". I drive defensively as a general rule but in this kind of scenario it's hard to win. Slightly off thread a couple of days during rush hour ago when the local weather was at its worst - the motorways had barely been gritted and there was slush everywhere, I was being tailgated by a BMW (common theme here?) literally a couple of feet off my bumper at about 65mph. I was following the car in front though about 3 car lengths off him at a constant speed and we were overtaking middle lane traffic. I pressed my brake pedal just enough to light the lights and on the fourth attempt he got the hint and backed off. You say this kind of behaviour incites road rage but it plays people with this kind of attitude at their own game. I'd rather do this than have some idiot like this plough into the back of me when we all brake suddenly.
[2] Wonder how your stepfather would feel if the BMW driver had been dazzled enough to cause him to lose controll and hit an oncoming car carrying children for instance.
Somewhat unlikely at 11pm, in the middle of nowhere, with not another soul around as far as the eye could see, on a one car wide road. We had nowhere to pull over at the moment he appeared so what were somewhat "aggravated" at his attitude.
Unlikely given the road was one car wide and in the middle of nowhere with no other soul around.Mal.
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Dan - your pops gets the thumbs up from me. I too will flick my rear fogs on if some n0b has his fronts fogs on behind me (if they're not dazzling then I won't normally do this). If someone is approaching me and I'm getting dazzled by their inappropriate use of front fogs then I'll stick my high beams on - again I use my better judgement and won't do this if I'm behind someone or may affect other drivers.
And when I put my High Beams on I dish out light... I've got Driving Lamps (not fogs) on the front, these only come on/off with the High Beams and they are very bright. Like over 130watts, per bulb of brightness and that's like sitting behind a floodlight. I don't believe this to be irresponsible and I certainly don't lose sleep over it!
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Dan,
Despite your unabridged reply I still stand by what I said in my reply.
I am in no way trying to be contentious on this issue I am only giving my opinion which is what this forum is all about,so I will just leave it at that.
Regards ,Mal.
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I know Mal :) T'would be a very boring place if we all agreed on everything!
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Yes Dan just imagine the scenario if everyone were to agree with everyone else on anything anywhere in the world.
I imagine the world economy would collapse as well as being a bit boring.:-).
T.T.F.N. Mal.
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Vivitar
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Flashgun
Just about the most powerful stand-alone flashgun you can get and it has a "test" button.
Not that I'm condoning this sort of thing, but "when oi were a nipper" it seemed like the perfect response to being dazzled from behind.
Bleedin' irresponsible really, but seemed quite effective at the time......
No Dosh ** Quick, talk motoring, Mark's coming! **
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So what is your suggestion when stuck in heavy traffic with some p****** behind you with his fogs on dazzling you? Carrys on the British tradition of never complaining about anything. About 50% of drivers take the hint whereby I turn mine off straight away. Those that don't I turn my mirror onto it's anti-dazzle setting and think "well stuff you".
(applaud) Exactly what I do.
Had an argument with a guy at work the other day about front fogs and asked him why does he always drive around with them on. "well, it helps to illuminate the road better at night" was his poor excuse of a reply. To which I replied, "but if you're in heavy traffic, other cars help to light up the road around you anyway, and in daylight why do you need your lights on at all?" "But, but...." was his reply, followed by more flismy excuses. For some reason or another he took offence when I mentioned that the office should have a whip round for his birthday and buy him a baseball cap and a gift voucher for spec savers so that he could have his eyes tested, as his vision must be impared if he needs his fogs on all the time to see where he's going!
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I don't condone breaking the law and I'm not a 'front fog lights on all the time person' (my car hasn't got them, but I wouldn't be if it had). However I don't see what the problem is, to me they appear to be the same brightness as dipped beam headlights (and certaintly no worse than misaliged headlights) also they are low down so you don't look directly at them.
Likewise rear fog lights are the same brightness as brake lights so don't dassle. There is more of an argument here though as they sometimes look like break lights so could mislead others.
Front fog lights are good for lighting the left hand edge low down so are very good for spotting all those cyclists without lights.
Linking fogs to headlights would stop all those who put just the side lights on to get the fog lights on.
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Mark RLBS.
I realise I am going to incur the wrath of folks who object to these long threads made up from bits carved out of other threads but its a risk I'll take.
(aside)Sorry you know who you are its nothing personal but you knew that anyway.
Realise it will involve you, Mark, in some work, in fact a lot of work when I look back. Actually it so pees me off I would do the work for you if I could but......
I just..... can't...... take....... any....... more...... of these foglight threads going over and over the same old ground.
Can we please have a foglight thread(s) volume 1 to volume(n plus 1)
Otherwise I'm going to have to get a bit of hardware so that a sharp spike springs out of the keyboard if I should ever click on one of these again. And you know my trigger finger is a bit twitchy, could you ever have it on your conscience.
Yours ever so humbly,
FiF
PS why did I have to type plus rather than the sign ??
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Here, here FiF. I can't explain why I was drawn into clicking on this thread in the first place, but I'm kicking myself now. I did like the flash gun idea though....
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Sorry, guys. I only asked for views on the speed limiting idea, not the old arguments regurgitated.
(Ducks back below parapet)
Terry
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I don't see what the problem is, to me they appear to be the same brightness as dipped beam headlights also they are low down so you don't look directly at them.
That is where the problem lies. When the roads are wet, front fogs being low down tend to reflect off of the road surface and cause dazzle.
The clue is in the name - Fog Lights = lights to be used only when it's foggy! Not when it's raining, not because you think it's cool, not because you've seen some moron presenter from a motoring program do it, etc.
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We suffer also grievously from this problem of retards who having bought this kit feeled obliged to get their ROI by using it. We even get it in daylight in broad sunshine.
I cannot condone an aggressive response, that brings me down to his level and may even cause an accident, which might even involve me. Win the battle but lose the war etc.
Demonstrating my own intellectual superiority and greater maturity (stop laughing) is all I know, i.e. via defensive driving. I might be a wimp with a dented ego but I'm still alive
and my lady wants me home in one piece, she don't care about how dented I am. Trouble is, up comes the red mist and I'm gonna get that SOB in that lowered BMW... say no more. I'm as bad as the rest sometimes. It's hard.
Please don't retaliate, whatever it takes. Try yoga, deep breathing, soothing CD's, but stay calm. Find a point to let him get past. Tomorrow's another day and I want to be around for it. My loved ones are banking on that. Don't let me let them down. My solution FWIW.
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I cannot condone an aggressive response, that brings me down to his level and may even cause an accident, which might even involve me. Win the battle but lose the war etc.
And heres me beginning to think I was all alone in my views on this issue.
Mal.
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