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This subject may have come up before. After a couple of days without rain today it is raining quite hard but there is no fog or mist or lots of spray being kicked up. However the traffic on the M4 and on the normal roads seem to delight in using side lights only coupled with spot and or fog lamps that dazzle. I was under the impression that the use of spots or fog lamps with side lights was against the rules. Am I wrong?
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It is illegal to use either front or rear fog lights unless the visibility is 100 metres or less.
Unfortunately, in normal conditions to have them on at the front is regarded as a fashion accessory.
To have them on at the back is a mistaken attempt to be seen better but just lands up masking the brake lights unless the separation between the two lights is sufficient.
In falling snow fog lights with side lights is the most effective combination because it cuts out the back-glare which you get with dipped headlamps, provided that the fogs are bright enough to drive by (many aren't). In falling snow main beam headlights are worse than useless as the glare effect is even worse and all you see is a white wall in front.
I don't know whether sides plus fogs is legal or illegal but it is certainly the safest in falling snow (provided you keep your speed down to how far you can see, although I assume that on snow you wouldn't be travelling too fast anyway).
I've never tried sides with fogs in fog, but dipped headlight are usually best as they enable you to be seen. Side lights only in fog are useless as the car can usually be seen before the lights.
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In truth can you think of a more useless item of equipment on a modern vehicle than fog lights? Rarely does one meet with conditions which truely merit their use, but assuming one does, then the illumination they provide is seldom superior to the flat topped beam provided by the headlights.
It is the marketing people that have convinced us they are indispensable.
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Steve, I agree, when I owned a Honda Civic I priced them up as aftermarket (Honda) items as cosmetic items only. 500 quid that's how much my friendly Honda dealer wanted. Did without !! Have them fitted (as standard) to my current car, used on average once a very blue moon.....
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Guys
Couldn't agree more! So-called fog lamps are a waste of time, and no better than dipped beam unless it's down to literally a few yards. I don't think I used them once in 4 1/2 years and 76k. Problem is they were standard fit and both were replaced due to stone damage in that time, so hardly a wonderful investment. Plus the 'fashion accessory' use these days simply causes glare. All in all a damn nuisance - I'm sure the money could be put to better use such as heated washers and locks, which would aid safety much more.
Regards
John
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Long time ago having got into some VERY dense fog high up in the Peak District I came to the conclusion that if it was foggy enough so that fog lights gave you better vision than dipped headlights, then it was so foggy you should not be out in it. Plus modern cars with adjustable headlight levelling you can get the dip beams very low.
What the "front end" brigade do not realise is that one technique apparently used in WW2 by bombers was to attack with their landing lights on. This dazzled the enemy gunners and meant they lost their speed and distance perception. (no I am not THAT old)
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But cars generally are little more than a fashion statement.
I have a diesel pickup because its so bloody useful and my wife is just changing from a bottom of the range Fiesta to a bottom of the range Corsa because its so bloody cheap (and also because we had 2865 GM points which were starting to "age off").
Neither type of vehicle has any problem reaching the National Speed Limits, but both start to complain soon after.
When we go on holiday we take both vehicles so that we have all the space we need and we have the flexibility of having two vehicles available.
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I've just sold the first car I've owned that was fitted with front fog lamps. I owned the car, a Renault Laguna which had them as standard, for three years and I don't think I ever switched them on.
....No tell lie, I did it once to find out what they did. My new car has no fog lamps and I won't miss them, or the risk of breaking a lens.
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The rules about sidelights/foglights/headlights/100 metres visibility are set out in the Highway Code.
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The manufacturers don't help either - our Xantia has the sequence off -- front fogs -- front and rear fogs. Why????
Given all the wallys driving around with the fronts on, wouldn't it be better if you could only have them on with the backs (ie off--back--back&front). They'd be a lot less popular then.
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When I see front fogs on in broad daylight, I know two things before I see the vehicle more closely. a, it is a company car, eg Vauxhall/Beamer 3 series, and b, it is being driven a w4nkr. As the car passes, I rest my case. I have not used my foglights in 7 years. If there are conditions that warrant their use, I stay at home!
colin
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Colin has it spot on ! it is a tool to alert other road users of the presence of a complete W4nker on the road so take avoiding action !
Money could be better spent on big black bumpers like old Volvo 244. instead of painted plastic abberations which collect scratches and so forth.
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In the area I drive in it's not company cars that are the trouble but those driven by boys who have not yet learnt which is the front end of a baseball cap.
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