tony de wonderful

Is it me or does there seem to be a trend of peeps running their front fogs on day, night, rain or shine?!

What's it all about?

Ant

Meks em lk kool init blud *sucks through teeth*

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

Therer are lots of new cars about now with daylight driving lights.......sure it's not those? They can't be turned off.

tony de wonderful

No they are not DRL's. Too low and bright.

They are most definitely FOGS.

Jamz3k

You mean you don't drive with your Fogs on constantly?


I pitty the fool.

Steve T

iTrader: (14)

As antc says, they think it makes them look cool .

Spoon

The VW lights can be deactivated according to the manual by pushing the indicator down and back and hold then switch the ignition on and off again for approximately 3 seconds.

millsy3

iTrader: (1)

yeah and you think a split **** is gona know how to do that, i have noticed recently there are quite a few with fogs on, it does my head in.

corradoboy

Just wait a few months, most VW's start de-activating stuff all by themselves as the legendary reliability takes hold.

FWIW, I'd make fog-light misuse a £500 fine, doubled for company vehicles with the employer paying half, the driver the other half. If the prosecuting officer is allowed to put a hammer through them, the fine would be reduced to £200

For the idiots who think having fog-lights on makes your Corsa or people carrier look more sporty, ask yourself this. What is sporty about fog, and how many REAL sports cars (Ferrari, Aston, Lambo etc) do you see with them on ?

RobsyUK

iTrader: (2)

You mean leaving your fogs on doesn't give you a 10bhp increase?

The Dogs B******s

This is one thing with driving that doesn't bother me,it's not blinding people,so who care's?

The Dogs B******s

I think you'll find it's 20bhp

Spoon

That won't be my problem.

Spoon

Why not? They can read too. Plus they aren't fogs anyway and look fine in the daytime. The new Citroen's day lights look a bit gay though.

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

But if they can fit that, AND on my ten-year-old Xantia, fit a system that defaults back to dip, if I switch my lights off with main beam selected...........
WHY CAN'T MANUFACTURERS FIT A SYSTEM WHEREBY FOGS DEFAULT TO OFF WHEN YOU SWITCH THE IGNITION OFF?

corradoboy

Agree I think an audible warning buzzer to annoy people would deter many, along with MOT fails and fines for tampering with the buzzer.

Steve vRS

My front fogs have to be turned off to turn the headlights off (common VAG feature). That means any VAG car you see with them on, the driver has purposefully switched them back on!

Hows about this for a good idea: As fog lights are designed to be used in fog, surely they should activate a speed limiter. If it's foggy enough to have them on, it's only safe to drive at 30mph. Simples!

That would make the buggers turn them off!

Steve

corradoboy

Let's face it, how often is it foggy enough to legitimately use them ? I know the Midlands and maybe the Vale of York gets more frequent dense fog, but I can only recall once in the last 12 months that I thought about clicking them on. Most people have no idea when they're supposed to use them anyway, so click them on with the slightest morning mist

In case anyone doesn't know....

When visibility is reduced to 100m or less by fog, falling snow or heavy spray. You MUST turn them off is visibility improves. HC 226/236

I always advise my learners that 4 normally spaced street lamps are about 100m apart.

tony de wonderful

Can't car makers engineer a fog sensor? I'm surprised VAG don't do this, they have sensors for everything else?

corradoboy

Please God no Just more to go wrong


I suppose a simple humidity sensor linked to the outside temp sensor could do it Maybe barometric pressure

tony de wonderful

Richy P1984

Dont get the issue with fogs. They dont blind you.

Infact for city and motorway driving where this is ample overhead (street) lighting I would prefer it if people just used their side lights and Fogs. The number of times I get blinded by some **** whos overly and unecessarily bright light completely fill my mirrors is starting to get out of hand.

You only need dipped lights on an unlit city street or A road. Full beam is only ever needed in the country where there is no surrounding lighting, and the roads are long and winding.

corradoboy

Fogs are deliberately a wide beam pattern which will stray into the oncoming lane, as they are intended to illuminate the white line and the kerb just a few metres in front of the car. The fact that the beam is only a few meters long negates any benefit at any speed over about 10mph, but the lack of any compulsory method of focussing the beam, or any check of that focus come MOT time means they often are directed wrongly, as well as being useless to the driver in all but the prescribed conditions. Their low positioning on the car, again done for a specific and justified reason (fog is less dense at ground level due to ambient ground temp and atmospheric pressure) means the angle of incidence for oncoming drivers can result in multiple reflections on a wet surface, doubling the potential for glare or distraction.

It's illegal, it's pointless, it's potentially dangerous, so just bloody stop it !

Nutzz

I drive around with mine on during the day (unless it is sunny), it is a habit I have from being a motorcyclist and a train driver.

They are not there so I can see, they are there so others can see me!!!!!

You also find that Buses in central London used to have there lights on during the day by local order/law because of the amount of pedestrians around.

As for fogs being illegal I tend to disagree to a degree. Using side or fog lights instead of headlights in hours of darkness is just plain stupid and illegal, but having fogs on with your headlights is not illegal, fog lights do not have a focus so therefore they do not project light very far, if your blinding someone with your fog light I suggest the move further than 3 metres away from them as that is all they are effective for.

I use my fog lights (in conjunction with my head lights) to define the contours/pot holes of the horrendous UK roads as they do a better job at it than headlights by them self's

****Edit****
Side light only at night (whether in the city or not) are dangerous, the amount of times I have pulled out of my road (which has a van parked on the corner so I cannot see down the road which means you reliy on being able to see a head light coming) to have some **** flying along on his side lights.

People that blind you with there headlights is because there beams are not aligned, a car which is MOT passable will not have that problem. Either have a word with them, let them pass so your behind them or use that tab on your rear view mirror!!!

If you have an accident at night and you were found with side lights or fog lights you would be screwed.

corradoboy

Side-lights, fine √
Dipped head-lights, fine √
Fog-lights, NO X
Main beam head-lights, only on unlit roads when there are no moving vehicles visible in front.
The word 'MUST' and the relevant legal reference tell you it is law, whether you agree or not, and it does carry a fine under 'misuse of vehicle lighting'.

Notice on this image how the light from the fog-lights seems brighter than that of the correctly aligned and focussed head-lights, and the reflection of the illuminated road directly in front of the car further adds to that glare. Also, I very much doubt that the driver can even see much of the effect beyond the bonnet....



It's illegal, it's selfish, it's arrogant, it's pointless.... must I keep repeating when there is no justification ?

Nutzz

There was no doubt about Main beam head-lights (full beam) and that shows I am correct about head lights (dipped beam) and that driving with just side lights is a no no.

As regards for fog lights, I have checked mine for pattern and distance and they do not glare like the ones in your pics (which probably have over rated bulbs in to be that bright)

As for the law that is some thing I am prepare to challenge in a court room on the grounds of road safety

corradoboy

The minimum legal requirement on roads with a 30mph limit and street-lighting during the hours of darkness is SIDE-LIGHTS only. Dipped head-lights on other roads.

As for your willingness to challenge something so trivial and unnecessary, I would question your priorities and attitude. The law is there because the general opinion is that the glare caused is considered dangerous. Your singular opinion is unlikely to change that position, so you would be wasting a lot of time and money on a futile opinion based on arrogance.

Nutzz

Your opinion bud, were all entitled to one.

corradoboy

Not opinion, law. Your opinion is wrong and you know it.

Nutzz

Oh and I do take safety highly, see as I am responsible for transporting up to 800 people at a time. Like I said I have checked my fogs, maybe because there recessed into the bumper they don't glare like the ones in your pic, if I had any doubts I would not use them for what I use them for.

I tell you what I will even take some pics for you tomorrow night when I finished work. If that will make ya happy.