Driving with fog lights on

[Calaber]

OK, I'm going to hope this thread doesn't turn to crap but I just want to know why so many drivers insist on driving at night with their fog lights on when there is no fog.

On the NSW Central Coast, this is an extremely common practice and in this state, at least, it's illegal. It wouldn't be so hard to confront if it wasn't for the size of the "fog lights" fitted as standard to some cars. For example, Subaru Imprezas and Libertys have fog lights that are larger than most cars and when you are confronted by one coming at you with heads and fogs on, it's like facing into high beam. Other cars have fogs that seem much brighter than the low beams.

Now, fogs are only designed to illuminate the road a very short distance in front of the car, so they don't really add to the lighting power when you are driving in clear night-time conditions, so why do so many people like to drive with the fogs on all the time? Is it just for the looks or is it to genuinely get more light out there on the road?

 

[JMP]

I checked it out on my calais once and it made very little difference unless you sat forward in the seat and looked directly in front of the bar. My guess is they think it looks cool.

 

[Turd Ferguson]

at night i never use them, during the day i do, It is proven that lights make yu more noticeable, hence why DRL's are becoming compulsory on new cars in many countries, obviously don't have ones that are gonna be shining into other drivers eyes while driving, but I don't see an issue with ones mounted low in the bar being used during the day, that said, at Night I don't think is necessary.

 

[VK SL 3800]

I like the look of driving with the fog lights on for some reason, im always tempted to do it when i drive my dads forester, i never do because i dont want a fine but when you turn on the lights near a wall the fog lights are aimed way below low beam and are no brighter as far as i can tell. I cant say ive ever noticed the fog lights on WRX's ect being super bright like getting hi-beamed, maybe people are putting in brighter globes?

 

[Jonno]

their is alot of fog where i live and i turn the fog lights on when their is fog cos u honestly cant see down the road, i turn them off straight away tho,

 

[aaronevolution]

I don't drive with my foglights on very often, but the way I see it is the more of the road and surroundings that I can see, the better. Especially with the state of the shithouse roads in Victoria these days, any pothole that I can avoid at night time by having foglights directed at the ground, means that I won't have to replace tires, wheels, castor bushes, link pins and the such.

 

[old mate]

i blast my horn and high beams at every car using fog lights in day time and times that are not foggy. if you cant ####ing see a car in the middle of a day, then get off the ####ing road and hand your licence in.

needless to say, i am pretty tired when i get to my destination.

 

[DAKSTER]

I use foglights on the open road in my Kia, they make a noticeable difference to vision on the roadsides in the area where high beam isnt close enough. I believe they have saved me from a number of roos. I dont see much point in using them around town though, so I dont.

The Commodore doesnt have any fitted yet, but when I get them, I will be looking for a similar light spread. Ford called them 'cornering lamps' rather than fog lamps, because thats what they are good at... showing the road and verge better at the front corners of the car.

A true 'fog' light would also have yellow lenses to minimize light reflection off the fog? I dont think the lights people call foglights are really suited much to that purpose, apart from being mounted lower.

I do have my headlights permanently on though, day or night, to allow me to be seen easier. This has been proven to be effective in many studies. Of course I never used to do that before the advent of modern cars which shut their headlights off automatically when you take the key out, I would have forgotten every time!

 

[calais24/7]

Some cars aren't to bad. But there are some that are much brighter then the headlights and there the ones that **** me. I'm tempted to in my parents car only becuase theirs lights up the road immediatly infront of you much better, and they are no brighter then the headlights and are aimed down at the road directly infront.

 

[DAKSTER]

i blast my horn and high beams at every car using fog lights in day time and times that are not foggy. if you cant ####ing see a car in the middle of a day, then get off the ####ing road and hand your licence in.

needless to say, i am pretty tired when i get to my destination.

Many studies have proven that using normal headlights in the daytime is a safety advantage. Some cars are actually built with the lights coming on by default with the ignition, you turn them off rather than on, if you have a need to have them off.

Fog lights, dont see the point in the daytime or around town. If any kind of lights are peeving you in the daytime though, you may need to seek anger management classes because I am buggered if I can think of a way they could cause you any problems at all...