Numptys driving in fog with no lights on!

[Squiggs]

On the aside subject of "lights on in rain" I'm not convinced it's a good idea if there is reasonable daylight and visibility.

 

I tend to put them on because everyone else does, using the logic that people will be looking for approaching LIGHTS rather than approaching cars, thus not see me.

 

But I feel that overuse of lights draws people to look at headlights too much, thereby putting pedestrians at greater risk than normal.

 

As for the fog on Saturday, driving though Staffs and Derbys, dipping in and out of fog on rural roads, I put my rear foglights on if I could see no headlights behind me, thus giving traffic further off more time to see me if I was in a foggy patch. Once I could see headlights clearly, the fogs went off (or I left the fog).

 

It's quite poetic though that after posting my comment on front fogs, I accidentally switched mine on today and drove a mile with them on. Oops! (Can't see the warning light easily as the cleverly designed dashboard tucks the light behind the rim of the steering wheel)

[Debbie22]

we went to Doncaster on saturday morning and i was also amazed at the amount of people driving without headlights or fog lights, but not only that they were still driving at 70-80 miles an hour on the motorway

[DT Ralge]

On a general note of use of dipped HEADLAMPS in poor vision and visibility (most sidelights on most vehicles are the original waste of space except for parking):

 

It's a good idea to see and be seen - so "wipers on, lights on", driving a dull-coloured car on a dull day in a grey wintery landscape? Then lights on so that you can be seen from a long way back by that driver who might pull out on you - your dipped headlights say "look at me, I'm scary, don't do it."

 

Anyway, come 2011/2012 an EU directive will have us all behaving like (cue the old Jasper Carrot joke) Volvo drivers i.e daylight running lights will be mandatory. (Much of northern Europe has this in place already and further south Italians have to drive with lights on on M/ways (incidentally, with the change the Italians saw an immediate reduction in m/way crashes.)

 

I don't know that we need an EU directive and our Govt. are dragging their heels somewhat (another unpopular thing coming out of Brussels?) but I do know that we could do with intelligent use of lights on our roads ...

 

but for that we would need intelligent drivers to populate the roads ... oh well, it seemed a good idea at the time.

[neeeeeeeeeek]

We need an EU directing stopping stupid people putting their fog lights on just because it's raining, then an additional one that confiscates and crushes their cars if they do it on motorways.

 

Or giving their cars to me.

[feargal]

One of my young neighbours had just passed his test, and to ensure safety at all times he keeps both front and rear fogs on, along with full beams. To make doubly sure, he's also had his exhaust made to sound like a motorboat, so you can hear his T-reg corsa coming. Clever lad!

[Circa]

not being a driver - i wouldn't notice this too much - but when I'm nearly knocked over by a cyclist, on a pavement with no lights - it properly annoys me. fairplay, the roads are dangerous, but if you can't be seen on a pavement, it can only cause more problems.

[theripsaw]

 

.

 

If you say so shame the Highway Code or the police don’t take the same point of view.

 

Not my words- the words of the Telegraph motoring expert.

 

And an EC Directive, effective in 2011, appears to agree, legislating in favour of the large sidelights fitted to Fiat 500s and the LED halo lights fitted to Audis and BMWs.

[Ms Macbeth]

I was amazed at how many were driving with no lights on.

 

We've just driven home from Congleton, via Buxton - fairly heavy snow around Buxton, and thick fog in a couple of places. I echo your sentiments exactly! Even if there were no need for foglights, dipped beams would have made sense. A guy in front of us for much of the way didn't appear to have any indicators either.

[mrmist]

Not my words- the words of the Telegraph motoring expert.

 

And an EC Directive, effective in 2011, appears to agree, legislating in favour of the large sidelights fitted to Fiat 500s and the LED halo lights fitted to Audis and BMWs.

 

The coroner rings on BMWs are not front fogs, though, they are specific "daytime driving lights". Basically their function is to look pretty.

 

I don't really care what lights people use, so long as they are set propely and don't dazzle. Unfortunately a lot of people these days it seems don't maintain their lights properly, so to adjust for one of them being broken they drive around with the other on permanent full beam.

[Grandad.Malky]

 

Deleted post, goes to look for EC Directive, effective in 2011