Are fog lights necessary?

[Eater Sundae]

That's possibly the reason they're designed (brightness wise)

 

They are possibly unnecessary in the busy city though.

 

I don't like to see them on in built up areas/traffic. However, I find them useful when in the sticks, and also better when in thick fog on the motorway*.

 

 

 

edit: *mind you saying that, most people don't seem to use them, and with this knowledge I tend to increase my distance anyway

 

If you're increasing distance, then it follows that you can see the vehicle in front. If you can see the vehicle, then it doesn't need additional fog lights.

[Obelix]

then theres the ones who leave them on for a month after the fogs gone blinding people behind.

 

They don't leave them on -they will have to turn them on each time they get in the car (or have the battery go flat on them.)

 

Fog lamps are turned on to make other drivers aware that the car is being piloted by a bit of a knob. The number of times that I've *required* fog lamps on in the last thirty years can be counted on one hand in the UK...

[sgtkate]

I think daytime running lights are part of the issue. I managed to drive my partners car about a mile (thankfully through a well lit area but even so!) with only DRL on the other day as she'd turned off auto headlights for some reason, I didn't check and the DRL give enough forward light to make you think the headlights are on especially in a street lit area.

 

I still fail to see the purpose of these lights. If you can't see nearly a tonne of metal driving down a road then I'm not sure some LED lights are going to help you. They also mask cyclists and pedestrians who do not have 1000lumens of lighting shining out of their faces.

[geared]

The newer LED DRL's are really bright, you quite often see people driving along in the dark with just those on as they don't realise they haven't switched headlights on.

[Isabelle]

Or parked on the wrong side of the road, with headlights on. Especially 4x4s.

 

ALWAYS women too, I'm afraid to say as that's blatantly sexist.

 

It's worst on the back country roads I use to get to Penistone, its pitch black out there. Had to slow right down once due to some twit parking on the wrong side of the road with full headlights on. And it wasn't a woman....

[*_ash_*]

If you're increasing distance, then it follows that you can see the vehicle in front. If you can see the vehicle, then it doesn't need additional fog lights.

 

Not always. Sometimes people don't have them on, but when they brake, they appear in view.

 

 

It's worst on the back country roads I use to get to Penistone, its pitch black out there. Had to slow right down once due to some twit parking on the wrong side of the road with full headlights on. And it wasn't a woman....

 

tch sexist

[tzijlstra]

The guideline in the Netherlands (which can get pretty foggy as you'd imagine) is that fog lights should only be used if visibility is less than 50m (10 white stripes on the road appr.)

[iansheff]

They are good if they are used correctly, however some people see a bit of fog and think it is compulsory to turn the fog lights on. As someone says some forget to turn them off and they just come on next time the lights are turned on. On my car the fog lights turn off when you turn the main lights off. When you rotate the switch to the off position it turns the fog light switch off as well.

[Flexo]

Like the folks who sit at traffic lights indicators flashing, foot on footbrake......

 

That's what driving instructors teach. I guess it's easier for students than using the handbrake.

[sgtkate]

That's what driving instructors teach. I guess it's easier for students than using the handbrake.

 

Really? Fairly sure I was taught the exact opposite for obvious safety reasons.