Fog Lights in Summer

[KDM]

I'm about to have a rant. Get ready. I'll start with some terminology. (I like folk to understand my language when I'm ranting, and I'm aware that most of my audience is probably in the US where the English is different from that used in England, which is a whole different rant located at many different blogs across the wworld.)

• Main Beam: Should be the biggest, brightest headlight you have on your car. The one that you're only supposed to use when there is no oncoming traffic and you're the lead vehicle.
• Dipped Beam: The headlight you can use when it's dark, but you're not the lead vehicle, or there is oncoming traffic.
• Sidelights: Not really legislated for, but designed to present the width of the vehicle at night, particularly when you're parked in an otherwise inappropriate location.
• Headlights: The combination of main beam, dipped beam and sidelights.
• Auxiliary lights: anything else, including foglamps.

Could someone please explain to me the fixation some drivers have with driving on foglamps in fair weather, when the conditions of visibiltiy are not at all impaired?

I think I've pretty well outlined the purpose of all the other lights on the dangerous end of your car. In UK law, you're not allowed to "cause undue dazzle to other road users." Undue dazzle is what you get when some <insert expletive here> uses his 80W foglamps in the middle of the summer, even though this power output is in excess of typical Main Beams.

Most modern cars imported into the UK cannot display fog lamps unless sidelights (AKA parking lights) are also engaged. How do they do it? Have they modified the wiring loom? WHY do they do it? Are they so ugly that they choose to blind oncoming drivers rather than being seen?

Fair enough, if you forget to switch your foglamps off having just come down out of the mountains, you're maybe just a little bit stupid, perhaps not having the brainpower to drive anything more powerful than an electric razor. BUT if you actually modify your car so you can put your cosmetic lights on at an inappropriate time, then you deserve the maximum penalty: castration. (In case you pass on the faulty gene.)

Can you guess what happened to me today? In town (well away from mountains) on one of the finest days the UK has seen in as long as I can remember, I was coming round a corner on a road I know well, to encounter some halfwit displaying nothing but excessive foglights. I glanced in the mirror and (despite being 'dazzled') established that there was nothing behind me and hit the brakes.

To tell the truth, I was lucky. I realised milliseconds later that just because you don't see something doesn't mean it's not there.

Who are these people? Why do they do it? Are you one of them? Can you help me?

NB: having opened with what may be considered an irritation to my American cousins, I hasten to add that I find Americans to be among the most cautious, polite, considerate drivers in the Western world. I suspect that such idiot behaviour simply doesn't happen in the US. You folk really do watch the road ahead and look out for Muppetts-with-permits.

 

[Padre]

There are fog lights, and then there are driving lights.

Fog lights, most of the time, are amber/yellow in color. They should be used in times of fog, as the name implies, as the fog reflects less of the yellow/amber spectrum back into the drivers eyes.

The bright, usually 50w or more, lights that are on most modern cars and trucks are driving lights. They are to be used at any time as a means of being more visible to other drivers. Most US cars have Daytime Running Lights, otherwise denoted as DRL. These would be your 'dipped beam' lights running at 50% power. This is also a safety issue, making you more visible to other drivers.

Now, for me personally, I use my DRL's (they automatically go on) but rarely use my driving lights. I will use my driving lights in rural areas, in mountainous areas, etc. I do not have fog lights, per se, installed on my truck.

The other modification that many people do to their cars or trucks is "all lights on." This is an easy modification to the wire loom that, when you turn on your high beams (main beam), all your lights go on: high beams, low beams (dipped beam), running lights and fog lights (if you have them.) This can be EXTREMELY irritating when someone forgets to turn them off as they approach you either from the front or rear. I think it should be made illegal.

 

[glycerine]

Just so we're clear, are you calling foglights the lights that are below the headlights closest to the road (as they should be), or are you refering to the lights that you may see on a jeep or truck that are mounted on the rollbar above all other lights?
I think maybe the people you are seeing simply don't have their lights adjusted correctly. I believe that foglights are usually mounted as low as possible and also are aimed downward, so they shouldn't be blinding at all to other drivers. Maybe these people have them aimed too high, in which case they would do no good in actual fog, because they would only shine upward INTO the fog.

 

[Mark]

There are ways to do it, but wired from the factory, the driving lights turn off, when you go to high beam and back on when you go back to low beam. In PA it is illegal to have your driving lights on with the high beams. From what I've been told, it shouldn't pass inspection if the work around is enabled.

Mine (if I was to do that) is a simple jumper in the fuse box.

 

[Russianwolf]

was there any hill involved?

If they were coming up a hill and you were on a level piece, this raises the aim of the lights and can cause more dazzle. Unfortunately, there is not cure for this.

I for one wish they get rid of the damn blue headlights. They may make it easier for the driver to see, but make it much harder on the oncoming traffic even on low beams.

 

[Christian]

Can I add another UK based rant to this? I have noticed that more and more people now drive with their main beams on at night. I live in a rural village but the street lights do work. Yet still they zoom around with main beams on and, as a secondary rant, they leave them on until at least a few seconds after you hove into view coming in the other direction. Whatever happened to dipping the beams when you caught site of the lights from the oncoming car? I think it is to do with the plethora of vampire/zombie/monster movies and games around. We now have a whole new generation who are SCARED OF THE DARK!!!........................or morons.

Chris

 

[Mark]

Awwww Mike, I love my blue head lights. :biggrin:

They are actually closer to white than real blue, but man do they work great at night. I never use my high beams... I'm not certain the high beams even work...

 

[glycerine]

You can see the vampires better with blue headlights...

 

[KDM]

There are fog lights, and then there are driving lights.

Totally. Does your car do an annual check? (In the UK, it's called an MOT.) Do they check the direction or peak output power of your driving lights? If no (as in the UK) that's because there is no guiding legistlation. By definition, they are auxiliary lights and are therefore only for use when there are other motorists around.

Fog lights, most of the time, are amber/yellow in color. They should be used in times of fog, as the name implies, as the fog reflects less of the yellow/amber spectrum back into the drivers eyes.

Oooo. Now we're into the unkown. To the best of my ability, amber headlights were outlawed in the UK in 1975. (I think they might still be legal in some parts of Europe.) As you say, though, there's no reason why amber foglights shouldn't exist, since other road users should never see them anyway!

The bright, usually 50w or more, lights that are on most modern cars and trucks are driving lights. They are to be used at any time as a means of being more visible to other drivers. Most US cars have Daytime Running Lights, otherwise denoted as DRL. These would be your 'dipped beam' lights running at 50% power. This is also a safety issue, making you more visible to other drivers.

Yeah. Could be. Again, unknown territory. More and more cars are being introduced to the UK (notably Volvo and BMW) where you CAN'T turn off the dipped beam lights at all.

Now, for me personally, I use my DRL's (they automatically go on) but rarely use my driving lights. I will use my driving lights in rural areas, in mountainous areas, etc. I do not have fog lights, per se, installed on my truck.

Hmmm. I'm not going to comment. What you describe as driving lights sound like my dipped beams and what you describe as DRLs sound awfully like auxiliary lights.

My concern is with lights which cause undue dazzle.

The other modification that many people do to their cars or trucks is "all lights on." This is an easy modification to the wire loom that, when you turn on your high beams (main beam), all your lights go on: high beams, low beams (dipped beam), running lights and fog lights (if you have them.) This can be EXTREMELY irritating when someone forgets to turn them off as they approach you either from the front or rear. I think it should be made illegal.

Sadly, I'm 100% certain you're correct!!

 

[Gin N' Tonic]

Can you say that again? But this time in English? :wink:

What about these folks who have a car that's worth about a thousand dollars but that have 5 grand in stereo equipment inside? There are times I can hear the bass from a car driving by my house in the WINTER! when there is so much bass that the car buzzes something is wrong. Wait! Wait! How bout the guy with Duct tape holding his rear lens in place but has $2500.00 worth if rims and tires on the car. And what is it with those spinning hubcaps?


I'll tell you what....... If you could shoot people for being stupid I would be spending my entire paycheck on ammunition every week. Come to think of it, I've done a few stupid things in my lifetime so someone might have busted a cap in me a long time ago. Naaaa, I'm a faster draw and a better shot.

 

[KDM]

Just so we're clear, are you calling foglights the lights that are below the headlights closest to the road (as they should be), or are you refering to the lights that you may see on a jeep or truck that are mounted on the rollbar above all other lights?

Yeah. Good point. Foglights = my misleading generic term for illicit lamps which should only be used in conditions of imparied visibility and certainly not when other motorists are around! I was referrring to the lower ones as they are the most commonly seen in the UK. I don't think folk here would be stupid enough to use high-level spotlamps on the road!!

I think maybe the people you are seeing simply don't have their lights adjusted correctly.

100% certain you're correct. As alluded to above, auxiliary lamps are not legistated for, therefore not tested, therefore can be easily misdirected.

I believe that foglights are usually mounted as low as possible and also are aimed downward, so they shouldn't be blinding at all to other drivers. Maybe these people have them aimed too high, in which case they would do no good in actual fog, because they would only shine upward INTO the fog.

Absolutely! Either way, they don't, leaglly, exist and therefore no other road user should ever see them.

 

[KDM]

There are ways to do it, but wired from the factory, the driving lights turn off, when you go to high beam and back on when you go back to low beam. In PA it is illegal to have your driving lights on with the high beams. From what I've been told, it shouldn't pass inspection if the work around is enabled.

Mine (if I was to do that) is a simple jumper in the fuse box.

Is the power/direction of the DLs tested at "inspection"?

 

[KDM]

was there any hill involved?

If they were coming up a hill and you were on a level piece, this raises the aim of the lights and can cause more dazzle. Unfortunately, there is not cure for this.

Nope. No hill. I'm also familiar with Newtonian physics and the notion of light going in a straight line. See my next comment.

I for one wish they get rid of the damn blue headlights. They may make it easier for the driver to see, but make it much harder on the oncoming traffic even on low beams.

Don't even TALK to me about those blasted self-levelling things. Now THEY direct the beam into the eyes of oncoming motorists and dazzle, albeit briefly, before levelling coming over the brow of a hill.

I have a friend whose car FAILED the inspection because when they told him to turn on his headlights they were folded in and down. They only levelled when he started the engine. Running the engine in the test hall was forbidden!!

 

[KDM]

Can I add another UK based rant to this?

Fill yer boots.

I have noticed that more and more people now drive with their main beams on at night.

Fair enough.

I live in a rural village but the street lights do work. Yet still they zoom around with main beams on

Oh. Not so fair enough.

and, as a secondary rant, they leave them on until at least a few seconds after you hove into view coming in the other direction. Whatever happened to dipping the beams when you caught site of the lights from the oncoming car? I think it is to do with the plethora of vampire/zombie/monster movies and games around. We now have a whole new generation who are SCARED OF THE DARK!!!........................or morons.

Ha ha ha! It sounds like you have been plagued by the same ilk of driver who change lanes in front of you then give a single flash of the "I just changed lanes in front of you lights." (AKA indicators.) You should look out for these same folk double-parked, parked in disabled spaces, or half parked on pavements (sidewalks, US) displaying their "park anywhere lights." (AKA hazard warning lights.)

 

[KDM]

You can see the vampires better with blue headlights...

Damn, you people crack me up. Everyone knows you can see vampires better with red lights because they can't see red light so it doesn't scare them off. Totally the opposite end of the spectrum!

 

[mredburn]

Here in Florida we dont have to have our autos inspected...............ever. Where I live the hills are only 7ft tall. Ohio sends all their old drivers down here to keep their roads clear. L:biggrin:L In Miami Driving is a contact sport. I learned to drive by the Braille method.

 

[glycerine]

Damn, you people crack me up. Everyone knows you can see vampires better with red lights because they can't see red light so it doesn't scare them off. Totally the opposite end of the spectrum!

Ok, so then they use the blue headlights to scare them off!

 

[lazyguy]

NB: having opened with what may be considered an irritation to my American cousins, I hasten to add that I find Americans to be among the most cautious, polite, considerate drivers in the Western world. I suspect that such idiot behaviour simply doesn't happen in the US. You folk really do watch the road ahead and look out for Muppetts-with-permits.

Wow you don't know many drivers from the States do you. Then again there was that time in London that I was nearly killed looking the "wrong" way...I swear that Mercedes was accelerating...you folks get points for Americans. All that aside I find that those who drive with max lumens, whatever you call the lights pumping it out are the same who drive to fast and cut in out of traffic. They own the road, in their mind at least.

 

[Mark]

Is the power/direction of the DLs tested at "inspection"?

I doubt it.. Mine have never been questioned. Probably due to them being located in the factory housings.

 

[Rfturner]

My dad is a mechanic and has bad eye sight, He really can't stand the new head lights especially the blue ones. That being said it is illegal to have your fog lights on when conditions don't need them just like underglow for cars. If someone wanted to have all lights on it would be as simple as using a paper clip to make a connection in the Fuse panel. My Dad has shown me this how you can make the persons horn attach to the turn signal for example. Doing this with the lights would be simple but NOT Advisable. We have different lights on or cars for a reason, to allow us to see in all condtions.

 

[KDM]

NB: having opened with what may be considered an irritation to my American cousins, I hasten to add that I find Americans to be among the most cautious, polite, considerate drivers in the Western world. I suspect that such idiot behaviour simply doesn't happen in the US. You folk really do watch the road ahead and look out for Muppetts-with-permits.

Wow you don't know many drivers from the States do you.

Nope, but it's all relative. You may think other Americans are bad, but I find them relatively good!

Then again there was that time in London that I was nearly killed looking the "wrong" way...I swear that Mercedes was accelerating...you folks get points for Americans.

Not specifically Americans. (Except the ones who come over dressed in golf pants.) Mercedes drivers and BMW drivers have a reputation: the road is exclusively for them and no-one else has any right to be there.

On a serious note, you are correct: many road users will try to "teach a lesson" to other road users. This includes acellerating at pedestrians to give them a fright. It's all too common. Some drivers will stand on their brakes if they perceive another vehicle is too close behind. A spectacularly dangerous and deadly practice.

All that aside I find that those who drive with max lumens, whatever you call the lights pumping it out are the same who drive to fast and cut in out of traffic. They own the road, in their mind at least.

Yep. And they don't have the brain capacity to be driving anything larger than an electric razor.

 

[skiprat]

On a serious note, you are correct: many road users will try to "teach a lesson" to other road users. This includes acellerating at pedestrians to give them a fright. .....

Yep, road rage is catching on big time now. Did you hear about that driver that had his mirror bumped by a cyclist. I don't think the mirror was even broken, but the driver chased the cyclist and knocked him ( with his car)so hard off his bike that he flew about 30m and died. He then went home and asked his neighbour if he knew a good panelbeater!!!

I heard he got life, but that's only a few years nowadays.

Found a newspaper article...http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...led-cyclist-revenge-knocking-wing-mirror.html

 

[Jgrden]

Down here in Texas, you do not practice road rage or flip anyone off. You just don't know who is packing and you might just get more than you can handle.

 

[KDM]

Down here in Texas, you do not practice road rage or flip anyone off. You just don't know who is packing and you might just get more than you can handle.

Yeah. I work with a guy from Texas. You folk can be pretty militant!!!