Fools driving with front fog lights on

Rear fogs are useful – when the afore mentioned BMW is about 3cm’s from your rear bumper, hit the fogs, watch his nose dip as he breaks in near panic, then ease in and let him pass:diablo:

Or a bloody Porsche!! :diablo:

Apart from the illegality of driving with both headlights and fog lights illuminated in clear conditions, can I also point out that when it is foggy and those auxiliary lights come into their own, the headlights need to be switched off (cutting out the reflected glare from the fog) for the sharply cut-off beams of the foglights to provide maximum benefit.

Moggy

There’s two safety issues caused by driving with front fog lamps on:

1. The light from the hi-intensity lamps illuminates the road immediately in front of the car. The driver will then concentrate on this area, instead of looking where the designer of his headlamps were directing his attention, into the middle and far distance – where drivers should be looking.
Peering just over the edge of the bonnet, doesn’t give you time to react – unless you’re going very slowly.

2. On big cars, blasted 4×4/people carrier type things, the fog lamps are at the same height as the eyes of a driver in a sports car – as I know from bitter experience.

My little car, when I still had it, had two tiny but effective spot lamps (not fogs, long range spot lamps) below the bumper which came on with the main beams. I found flashing those at errant drivers while shouting “its not foggy” always made me feel better, but was really just as dangerous as what they were doing. Still, a couple did actually turn their fog lights off for me. 😮

when the afore mentioned BMW is about 3cm’s from your rear bumper . . .

The correct, safe thing to do is to gently slow down and create a bigger braking distance between you and the car in front – makes it less likely that the Beamer will hit you if the traffic suddenly slows or stops. But it also aggravates them because they’re trying to get you to go faster.:diablo:

Rear fogs are useful – when the afore mentioned BMW is about 3cm’s from your rear bumper, hit the fogs, watch his nose dip as he breaks in near panic, then ease in and let him pass:diablo:

People who drive around with front fogs on all the time, are usually idiots.

I think the law states rear fog lights should be used only when visibility is down to less than 100 metres. As oldshape says, when I see people doing otherwise, because they think they should, I just console myself by concluding I am a more intelligent person!

In most cases where Rear fogs are on when not necessary it is because the driver doesn’t realise it. In my car for example, at the position I sit, I cannot see the LED on the switch telling me the fogs are on. I don’t have a dashboard display of it…………so in some circs. the reason can be excusable, but we are still superior 😉
…and I don’t have Front fogs.

Creaky, I cannot agree on that. In very bad spray you cannot see the running lights of some cars. In such conditions one needs to sit behind a car so you can see his lights (Preferably all doing 40mph or less but I can dream) and if those lights are dim, you get too close.
The surging is caused by people driving too fast in bad conditions.

People who drive around with front fogs on all the time, are usually idiots.

I think the law states rear fog lights should be used only when visibility is down to less than 100 metres. As oldshape says, when I see people doing otherwise, because they think they should, I just console myself by concluding I am a more intelligent person!

😀
My suspicion is that some of their drivers should have an “off” switch for the ego 😉

Speaking about lights, did you hear? The EU passed a law that, from 2011 on, all new vehicles must have driving lights fitted..

I’m not sure if BMWs have an “off” switch for them.

Rear fogs should be used in fog and heavy motorway spray, never other times.

I disagree, they should never, never be used on a motorway in the rain.

In these circumstances they are far too easily confused with brake lights and cause a large amount of traffic surging, and as a consequence of that, a large number of accidents.

Agreed with comments. Having returned yesterday from the UK, I was amazed at the reluctance and stupidity of drivers not using their headlights when it is raining and attempting to be the last one to switch their light on at dusk.

There is one simple tenet of being a good driver, if you are using your wipers, you should be using your lights as well.

Yes, there are some dipsticks here that seem to think it is trendy to be pointlessly dim, or enjoy flouting common sense because that makes them “Hard men”. Some even believe it saves them money………I once tried to calculate the extra fuel burn required for a set of lights on for 30 mins at 50mph. It was getting to the 1/10th of a penny level.
In those days the engine power was not given in Kilowatts so maybe the calculation would be easier now…..and petrol was 41p a litre.

Rear foglights should be banned…..they cause more accidents than they prevent.

How’s that then?

Rear fogs should be used in fog and heavy motorway spray, never other times.
When you see a numpty with them on at other times, then just bask in the glory that you are infinitely superior and generally a better person than them. It’s easy.

Rear foglights should be banned…..they cause more accidents than they prevent.

That would be my suspicion as well.
On the other hand, one occasion where I could excuse the use of front foglights while it isn’t foggy (I happen to do it myself) would be, at night, on deserted country roads where you can come across wildlife. Thet enable you to see if there’s something on the side of the road.

Now, what is really annoying is people turning on the read forglight when there is no reason… THAT is annoying.

Apparently some people think it’s cool to use fog lights whether it’s foggy or not. I don’t.

Agreed with comments. Having returned yesterday from the UK, I was amazed at the reluctance and stupidity of drivers not using their headlights when it is raining and attempting to be the last one to switch their light on at dusk.

There is one simple tenet of being a good driver, if you are using your wipers, you should be using your lights as well.

Your not alone… over here it happens regularly especially with larger newer pickup trucks..!