Fog Lights.

colm_mcm

I think fog lights are a greaty way of letting your fellow driver know that you could afford one up from the base model.

Supercell

overdriver wrote:

My job involves doing exactly that - night time driving, country roads. I have to disagree with you on your point for the following reason.
30 mph ( 50 kph)is about 44 feet per second. Night time back roads driving can be almost twice that, most of the time - 50 to 60 mph ( 80 -1 00 kph). Add reaction time, 1 second to 1.5 seconds, and the sums negate your contention. The comfort it's giving you is a placebo - nothing more.

I slow down when dazzled (or think I'm about to be when I see the fecking huge beams coming over the hill or the distance).....
If I didn't slow to safe speeds when almost driving blind due to being dazzled you would be correct, but I think its a good idea to go dead slow when you cant see the road ahead, thus that brightly lit ditch is a good thing no?
If you peg it down country lanes happily at whatever the speed limit is regardless of whether you can see the road properly or not then fair play, hope I'm not near you when you misjudge the distance you are from the ditch the one time your luck runs out.

maidhc

Longfield wrote:

I drive with my front fogs on on the coutry roads coming home and make no apologies about doing so.

If anyone disagrees - try driving a normal hatchback up the mountains in the dark,when a 4x4 or truck comes the opposite way and tell me that the extra ditch illumination doesnt help keep you on the road.
If still not convinced, try driving in the rain or drizzle up same mountain roads and then come back on yer pedestal.
I switch them off before joining traffic anywhere else.

I agree.

btkm8unsl0w5r4

I just love fog light threads.....I drive with my front fogs on in the country...I find the extra light good and they dont dazle anyone cause they are too low. I think rear fogs are silly except in fog but I dont get worked up. Worse are the people with their Xenon light set too high or a new set of HIDS which are like lazers scalding you eyeballs. But heay....their car, if it makes them happy then lets get in the sprit of christmas and be more relaxed and patient with others.

overdriver

Longfield wrote:

If you peg it down country lanes happily at whatever the speed limit is regardless of whether you can see the road properly or not then fair play, hope I'm not near you when you misjudge the distance you are from the ditch the one time your luck runs out.

Where did I say I "peg it " down country lanes? Don't be misquoting me to cast aspersions or to strengthen your argument, please. What I said is that night time driving can be twice 50 kph. Which it can. The main roads don't get closed when it's dark.

At least you have the good grace to switch them off when you're in towns, or whatever. Unlike a lot of people here.

It seems that no matter what evidence to the contrary is provided here, there are still some drivers who will say that fogs don't dazzle because they're "too low". Despite rakes of threads by people who find them dazzling, and despite the fact it's illegal and inconsiderate to use them when conditions are good. If you contend so strongly they don't cause discomfort to other drivers, then how come they do?

dahamsta

Those fairies have oversensitive eyes, they should see a doctor. Or a counsellor. Probably the latter, given their proclivity to whining.

(I've given up driving with my fogs on just to annoy these pussies, but I might just start again if the mods in here don't pull their fingers out of their arses and finally do something about the weekly bloody fogs threads. I think someone was asking about new forums the other day, perhaps we could get one for the people that bitch about fogs, and lob the ones that bitch about beamer drivers in there while we're at it? Force the Skoda drivers in there too, make the world a better place. Dreary slow bastards.)

adam

overdriver

And there we have it.

6ix

With all these fog light threads, I did a straw poll among 4/5 friends and colleagues, all of whom have been driving for years. None of them have ever had problems with dazzle from front fog lights. I have never had a problem with front fog lights either, and I know my eyes can be quite sensitive (squinting in photos on sunny days!).

However, I regularly have problems with rear fog lights and mis adjusted dipped headlights. While I respect everyone's opinion, I really dont know how people get so worked up about front fogs.

dahamsta

I can understand it when people get pissed off over misdirected foglights, but those are the fault of the driver, not an issue with lights themselves.

More importantly, many of the people complaining here specifically say that all fogs cause them trouble. I simply can't understand this. Fogs point down, the only time correctly directed fogs can dazzle is in the very limited circumstance when the oncoming car is cresting a hill. If all fogs are dazzling these people, then dips must dazzle them too; unless they have some kind of magnificent eye muscles that can differentiate between light that's directed down, and light that's directed forward and to the left. Or they're liars. I know which explanation I believe.

People that drive with their rear foglights on, except in the very rare circumstances when usage is correct, should of course be put against a wall and shot.

adam

Victor

dahamsta wrote:

People that drive with their rear foglights on, except in the very rare circumstances when usage is correct, should of course be put against a wall and shot.

Ah, just arm your barge with some light seeking missiles.

overdriver

dahamsta wrote:

I can understand it when people get pissed off over misdirected foglights, but those are the fault of the driver, not an issue with lights themselves.

I would agree with that. However, a fair number of them seem to be misaligned, and the confusion here seems to arise from the fact that people say they shouldn't be on in good conditions anyway. No fog, no ( misaligned) fog lights, no problem. Of course that can be argued no misaligned fogs, no problem. Micra's seem to have ridiculously bright fogs, I have noticed.

dahamsta wrote:

More importantly, many of the people complaining here specifically say that all fogs cause them trouble.

I didn't see anyone that anywhere. Link, please.

dahamsta wrote:

If all fogs are dazzling these people, then dips must dazzle them too; unless they have some kind of magnificent eye muscles that can differentiate between light that's directed down, and light that's directed forward and to the left. Or they're liars. I know which explanation I believe.

Facetious and sweeping comments don't contrbute to the debate here - and that's all it is - a debate. i doubt anyone is going to alter their behaviour based on what's written here.

dahamsta wrote:

People that drive with their rear foglights on, except in the very rare circumstances when usage is correct, should of course be put against a wall and shot.

adam

I would agree with you on that.

Just for clarity -(Oh, the irony of that!) - dazzling is not neccessarily the problem. Fogs can create a "pool of light" on wet roads. If there was fog around that would be less likely to happen.

LordSutch

After living & working in Britain & Europe it is striking to see the amount of cars that drive around in Ireland with their Fog lights ON (even when there is no Fog)!

I have lost count of the number of cars that have their Dipped Headlights turned OFF but their Fog Lights turned ON How Bizzar is that!!!

By the way ~ I am talking about "Front Fogs" and not rear ones.

I reckon that its either complete ignorance on the part of "some" Irish drivers, or they think that Fog Lights look cool ................ ?

Status Symbol?

Whatever the reason for this Irish Fog Light fetish, it brings a broad smile to my face every time I come back to Ireland from shores afar.

dahamsta

Victor wrote:

Ah, just arm your barge with some light seeking missiles.

I did, but the targetting system was developed by the Pentagon, so my missiles ended up taking out speccy kid in a playground in Tullamore.

overdriver wrote:

I didn't see anyone that anywhere. Link, please.

Troll through these and you'll find several references. I don't have time to deal with Boards.ie's ridiculous lack of a useful search engine.

Facetious and sweeping comments don't contrbute to the debate here - and that's all it is - a debate.

You make absolutely no attempt to refute my assertions and you call my comments "facetious and sweeping"? Debate? I do not think that word means what you think it means.

overdriver

I did refute the assertions I disagreed with, agreed with those I did agree with, and I know what a debate is. However, do feel free to furnish us with what your definition of "debate" is. I should have thought it was a universally understood word, but if you feel I haven't grasped it's meaning, do tell me.

Calling people liars IS facetious. Why on earth would people lie about it? What have they to gain?

Again, having "trawled" through those posts you linked to, there's nobody who specifically said "all foglights" dazzle them.

maidhc

overdriver wrote:

there's nobody who specifically said "all foglights" dazzle them.

Its the inference being made. From reading some of these silly threads you would swear front foglights meant instant death for all who see them.

I always use them when driving on country roads. They light up the, "undulating" road surface directly in front of the car. That is a good thing. If they offend people, tough, because they are not blinding.

LundiMardi

heh heh, the fog was quite a novelty for me this week.. I got to use my fog lights for the SECOND time in about 3 years!!! YUS.. So not only was i being practical, my car looked cooler than normal!! :rolleyes: