In the Edinburgh area we have a beautiful autumn morning, clear blue skys, and infinate visibility, (you can literally see for miles).
Why has knee deep mist in the fields prompted about 25% of drivers to use front and rear fog lights?
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There have been numerous threads on this subject in the past and nobody yet has managed to come up with a logical answer.
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L\'escargot.
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I saw some of these on the way to work too. It's a knee-jerk reaction by those motorists conditioned not to think for themselves. Weather forecast says fog, low lying mist in fields, therefore fog-lights go on. Never mind that there's perfect visibility - these are the drivers you are best advised to stay well away from 'cos if something unexpected happens they won't be able to work out what to do without a checklist. It's even worse in built up areas - the car behind is 12 feet away and clear as day but still the fog lights go on.
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Fog lights front & rear should be automatically reset every time the ignition is switched off, and should be automatically switched off when anything higher than 4th gear is selected, since if you're going fast enough to use 5th, then the visibility must be good enough to permit it......................
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dammed things are easy to turn on accidently in primeras and unless its dark or you pull up behind another vehicle its easy to not be aware they are on (yes it has an idiot light on the dash but even this is obscured when i have the steering wheel angled to my preferance)
so not clear cut---
i posted about 2 years ago how i sold a siecento to a girlie and she got dun the next day for failing to realise the rear fog was on
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Fog lights front & rear should be automatically reset every time the ignition is switched off>>
They do on some cars (or rather they turn off when you turn the lights off). Which means that it is not even forgetfulness that is the cause. People actually decide to switch them on in sunny weather!!
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>> Fog lights front & rear should be automatically reset every time the ignition is switched off They do on some cars (or rather they turn off when you turn the lights off)
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Please excuse my Mondeo.
I have to turn on the front fogs BEFORE I can turn on the rear fogs but I do get illuminated symbols on the dash, a green one with beams pointing downwards and an orange one with beams horizontal - very pretty. I do not understand the logic of the switch sequence :-(
Front fog lights are a useful back up for many cars that have one dip beam failed ( of which there are many ;-(
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Yesterday I went down the M1 in rain from Chesterfield towards Nottingham.
Surface water went from average to flooding to dry, depending on the quality of tarmac, but rain was falling at the same rate. Rear fog lights were not needed when the water drained away effectively but definitely were when cars dissapeared into the spray.
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Judging by the drivers & cars doing this habitually & inappropriately, I've concluded the answer is the same reason as the dog has for licking its dangly bits. (I hope I haven't breached watershed rules or good taste guidelines with that analogy!)
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At least the dog's habit has a cleansing function. There are plenty of idiots about who use fog-lights because they think it makes them look . . . now, what's the word? . . . oh yes, cool.
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who use fog-lights because they think it makes them look . . . now what's the word? . . . oh yes cool.
Thag's exactly what a mate said to a copper when asked why he had his front gogs on. And got a stern lecture in return.
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Aim low, expect nothing & dont be disappointed
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>>There have been numerous threads on this subject in the past and nobody yet has managed to come up with a logical answer.<<
It cos they have em and it's cool man - didn't you know.
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It cos they have em and it's cool man - didn't you know.
I'm so not "with it" that I thought cool was a reference to temperature!
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L\'escargot.
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I assumed it was how people of a similar disposition recognised each other.
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It's a way for those who like to draw attention to themselves to say "look at me, my car's not the base-model, I paid £1000 extra for an option pack and got these lights, and climate control, and a 5-disc CD autochanger. Aren't I great?"
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Much of it down to display behaviour but mist in the fields doesn't know it should not spill onto the road. Not uncommon here in Northamton's dormitory villages for it to be clear at home then 50metres in mist down by the river and pop out into sunshine again before Sixfields
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I always thought people breaking the law didn't want to advertise the fact...
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I always thought people breaking the law didn't want to advertise the fact...
They're probably completely oblivious to the law, either that or they just don't care. They may well need the front fogs on because their head's most likely in a very dark place, if you get my meaning ;-)
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I don't think we need fog lights at all. For the minimal amount of times i've used them over 27 years they're a mostly wasted resource.....and on the occasions i did use them, at night the front fogs work marginally better than dipped headlamps and the rears can be annoying or dangerous because they can easily be mistaken for brake lamps
as for daytime usage........dipped headlamps are just as good, i'd accept the rears can be useful, but again there's the brake light confusion problem
do away with them and get people to slow down in fog instead
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hurray!!!! - someone else with the same opinion as me! - rear fogs are the biggest waste of time/money ever.
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And so are front ones - especially those that are built into headlights! Front fogs can only be properly effective if they're as low down as possible so as not to cast an upward "halo".
The damn things should be interlinked so tha you can either have fogs or headlights but not both.
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I don't think we need fog lights at all.
Not entirely true, IME. I live in a rural area with narrow country lanes soft verges, large potholes & frequent & heavy rain. The extra foreground illumination foglights provide can mean the difference, on murky rainy nights, between remaining on the road or axle deep in mud & water on partially unmetalled tracks.
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Not entirely true IME. I live in a rural area.... can mean the difference on murky rainy nights between remaining on the road or axle deep in mud & water on partially unmetalled tracks.
F-I-L does this in Scotland, which to be honest, i can see why....... however, although it might seem sensible, the ironic thing is it still can be illegal... i.e if it's just dark and miserable, not seriously reduced visibility
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>>I assumed it was how people of a similar disposition recognised each other. <<
I think that is "wicked man" - not "cool man"
I have to agree with westpig on this as I cannot remember when I last used my fogs.
It has been a bit misty at times lately but not enough for fogs although enough people still use them.
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ronic thing is it still can be illegal.
Yes, - tend to extinguish them when I get to the 'normal' roads, wouldn't like to be taken for a chav or anything!
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