Snazy

Not when does the highway code say to, but YOUR choice.

So at what level of visibility do you turn fronts on, and the same again for the rear?

Just got back from a drive, popped on the M25, and was shocked at the number of people who clearly dont have a clue.
As for the driving and following distances in the fog, dont get me started on that!

pslewis

I switched them on when it's foggy - about 25 metres distant I guess?

The Dogs B******s

As above,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,but never complain when others have them on when its not foggy

Snazy

sounds about right to me.
I tend to use other peoples lights as a measure of how poor visibility is.

TDB even their rears for no reason?

The Dogs B******s

[QUOTE=Snazy;7501376] sounds about right to me.
I tend to use other peoples lights as a measure of how poor visibility is.

TDB even their rears for no reason?[/QUOTE]

There different,the fronts never blind you like the backs do

PaulC72

ours go on when visability is what I deem to be the 100m ish mark or less, it is beggers belief why people drive with them on in normal conditions, must be a status thing?

Snazy

Aaaah just wondered, I have to agree. Not overly bothered about fronts myself, but rears...........

The Dogs B******s

Dont think its a status thing,i see plenty of scrappers with them on.I do think there are times that its to light to have your main beem on but to dark to have the side lights on(they are small on a scooby),so maybe thats why people do it(in my opinion)

dsmith

"There different,the fronts never blind you like the backs do"

Trying driving in a low sportscar when some tw*t in a 4x4 comes round the corner with overly high fogs.

Front fogs are useful *only* when the fog is so dense that main beam reflects back. rears add value at greater distance. Basically if I'm losing sight of the car in front earlier than I Should or feel comfortable with then the rear goes on. But If I can see the rear lights clearly why would I need the rear fog on.

why some cars have the switch where the fronts have to go on before the rears is utterly beyond me.

Incorrect use of fog lights would actually be worth jailing people over. Hopefully wont be long now.

GROWLER_GRRRR

its about 100m according to the h/code but common sense should be the deciding factor , agree with the rears more important than the fronts .
mr punto loves his ***** extension front fogs ooow yes look at me !(dick)

most people havent got a scooby doo (a clue ) about driving these days


keep it real !

Snazy

As per the AA

According to the Highway Code, you must use headlights when visibility is seriously reduced – generally when you cannot see for more than 100 metres (328 feet) or the length of a football pitch.

There's no obligation to use fog lights, but they must be switched off when visibility improves. However, if your car is involved in an accident in reduced visibility and its fog lights weren't on, then it may be queried by an insurer.

GROWLER_GRRRR

like i said most people havent got a clue to what conditions warrant action re fog lights ,safe distances , etc .

i see them every day when i commute to work on a m/bike effin scarey it is .

corradoboy

I switch mine on when visibility is reduced to 100m or so, which has been about twice in the last 5 years where I live. Other than that I use them along with my full beams and the wnaker shuffle to inform others of their stupidity. My fogs are 130W and full beams 100W, but 99% pay no heed I think the fine for misuse of lighting should be £500 on the third offense, and to encourage coppers to enforce it the cash can go to their Xmas party funds


Cue the list of pedants who'll say I'll get fined for my illegal bulbs

lightwave693

on my classic i find i can see better in the dark with just side lights on and the fogs. standard headlights on the classic are nasty. normally though when on headlights and its quite foggy or the spray on the motorway is bad then foggys are on.

boomer

Front fogs - almost NEVER!

Last night on the way home in patchy fog (on a deserted country lane) i flicked through dipped, main-beam and fogs, and main-beam actually turned out to be best for visibility. It has to be SERIOUSLY foggy to need front fog-lights - maybe a few tens of feet visibility (and, of course, darkness).

Rears go on in thick fog (as defined and decided by the visibility of other vehicles) whenever there is nobody close behind. As soon as someone appears, they get turned off just like you would dip your main beam.

Fronts are for seeing, rears are for being seen!!

mb

corradoboy

Now, given that fog light beams extend to around 20m, what benefit is there in any of the supposed extra visibility they allegedly provide ?????





I'd recommend to anyone thinking that fogs help them see that they try some brighter bulbs such as Philips Extremes, which will both improve visibility and be completely legal, whilst also being much more considerate to the thousands of oncoming cars you are currently dazzling, TW@TS !!!

Hoppy

Front fogs are an utterly useless styling accessory.

I use rear fogs quite a lot, actually most often in daylight/rain when motorway spray is a serious hazard. I don't want to get rammed by some **** in a Range Rover who thinks he's invincible

Rear fogs should be used with care as they can be bloody annoying when they're not needed.

Richard.

corradoboy

So, when the **** in the Range Rover ploughs into the back of you 'cos he didn't see your brake lights because you had your foglights on in the rain, who's to blame, PRAT ! Try it yourself, park 20m from your wifes (or whatever) car with her rear fog on on a rainy night and get her (or someone) to press the brake pedal. Try it with rain on the screen, and maybe a bit of condensation. Then try it with the fogs off and report back to me which is most visible.

Logic dictates that a 21W light illuminating next to another 21W light will be less apparent than a 21W light illuminating next to a 5W light. Go figure, but until you can disprove my logic, DO NOT USE YOUR FOG LIGHTS IN THE RAIN !!!!!

Which of these would have the most visible brake lights......

Vampire

You're probably a lot more likely to be rammed doing that, it makes it really hard to see brake lights coming on in rain/spray if there's a nice bright foglight on next to them.

Trucker Ted

Please tell me this post is a wind up. Like Corradoboy said if you really are using your rear fogs in the rain, then its only a matter of time before you get rear ended .

miff13

Glad I'm not the only one, fog lights are rarely needed and even in the worst fog need to be used sensibly, the moment I can see someones headlights behind me I turn off the rear fog lights.

Slight mist on the way home tonight and quite a few people had their foglights on, FFS it's a foglight not a light mist light!

corradoboy

Well said miff, I too switch off my rear fog when approached from behind. Of course, this requires the driver to be paying attention which is a very big ask for the average UK road user I teach my learners that if they cannot see the ordinary red lights of a car at a distance similar to 3-4 normally spaced street-lights then it would be acceptable to use fogs. There's plenty of opportunity to introduce this discussion as about 1 car in 7 around the Leeds area has their front fogs on

The other one which winds me up is almost every driver I see when pulled up at traffic lights is in gear, foot on clutch and the other on the footbrake. This not only blinds the person behind, but if you were to be struck you would be probably pushed into crossing traffic like a pinball. Unless you are the first or second car in the queue, pop the handbrake on and rest your legs for a short while Another downside is that you keep red hot pads pressed against the disc, possibly warping them and maybe transferring heat through the caliper which could potentially boil the fluid in the lines leading to brake fade or early degradation of the fluid

G00ner

Spot on mate!

I've probably had to use rear fogs on less than 10 occasions in 20 years of driving and I've probably covered in excess of 750,000 miles.

corradoboy

I'm also seeing more and more clueless tw@ts using their full beam headlights all the time I actually got out in stationary traffic on the M1 recently to play holy Hell with one pillock blinding me, and just last night tried to advise another plank (foreign ) who obviously hadn't got a clue. We need more traffic cops and some seriously weighty fines. And as for all the commercial vehicles (trucks, buses, vans, taxi's etc) they should be fined triple

Prasius

iTrader: (1)

Pretty much what corradoboy said.... it needs to be pretty damn foggy for me to turn mine on, people turn them on as soon as you get a little mist and it just blinds everyone; if a fog lamp dazzles you, a) its not foggy enough for it to be on or b) your driving too close.

The thing about full beam always makes me laugh.. you can SEE that you can see better in fog with just dip beam, I can't believe people need to be told!!

As for people who purposefully have them on when its not foggy - I want to smash their cars up because they're too retarded to have a driving licence. If its light, you don't need your lights on, if its dark, put your proper lights on. Fog lights are not driving lights, they're FOG LIGHTS, the subtle hint for their use is in their bloody name. I'll hold my hand up to having had them accidentally turned on in other cars I've had on occasion, because I've knocked/caught a switch, but as soon as I noticed I turned them off. Because I don't wish to look like a total ********. Front fogs ARE useful on the very rare occasion that its foggy enough to need them and your on a rural road - I cannot see any use for them in urban areas though, where kerbs are clearly defined. In my very humble opinion.

worley

I used my Classic's front fogs twice in three years (both when 3 inches of standing water on the motorway and the white lines were not visible). Rear fogs were used possibly on one occasion.

I use the Accord's front fogs more often as they actually light the side of the road - normally on remote single track roads at night or when the lenses on the head lights are dirty and I can't stop to clean them.

There are lots of people who 'struggle' to use them properly.


Nik

corradoboy

I think it should be put into constructions and use regulations that fogs make an audible beep when on, and a double beep for the rears. Disabling the beep should be an offense and checked as part of servicing schedules and MOT's. Once that's in place stick a £500 fine (£1500 for commercials) and see how many Kevins think it's cool (although the Paxo brigade are only as bad as the people carriers and exec saloons ).

Hoppy

Note that I said "daylight" and "motorway spray" not parking up in a dark alley on a wet night. Also, I have three brake lights, not two as in your example photos, and one rear fog which is separated from the brake lights. I use it when I consider that, if the car in front had a rear fog on, then I would be better able to see them and keep a safe distance. Extreme conditions admittedly, but ones in which a lot of people run with rear fogs on, and like them I find it helpful in certain situations. I do not use fogs will-nilly nor would I ever use them in the situation you cite. I've also never been rear-ended in 40 years of driving and over 1m miles.

Richard.

PS Edited to add quote from Corradoboy "...I teach my learners that if they cannot see the ordinary red lights of a car at a distance similar to 3-4 normally spaced street-lights then it would be acceptable to use fogs...." So you do it too, then?

yoza

I turn my front fogs on right after turning on the ignition.......whatever the conditions, I think it looks cool.

andy97

iTrader: (1)

If the car in front of me is barely visible at 50 yds then I use mine.