Fog Lights people!!

nice1franko

i left my lights off this morn and drove slow. was hoping someone would rear end me and then id get a whopper claim from the fukers. i need one cos my car is banjaxed.

Zulu

Fey! wrote: »

What's with the cyclists in the fog? Met a guy on the Quincentennial Bridge last night, where there is a cycle path, cycling on the road with no lights or reflectors in a freezing for. ...

Ah stealth cyclists! I've almost run over these before.

peasant

pclancy wrote: »

Why doesnt the road safety authority or Garda run a full page ad in all the papers suggesting the proper useage of dipped and fog lights to maybe pusha few people into actually turning them on? Parking lights are my main hate, they're like two little candles coming towards you in the night/fog/rain! Rubbish.

80 euro fine and two penalty points for improper use of vehicle lighting/ vehicle not lit up according to weather conditions / circumstances.

They'd make a fortune

zilog_jones

Omcd wrote: »

IMO amber running lights on the sides of cars cause confusion - Volvo S40 have had them for years - it took me two or three near accidents almost pulling out in front of S40s that I thought were turning left to realise they were running lights and not indicators...

Those are side marker lights, not DRLs. New BMWs seem to have them too, on the front at least.

IIRC DRLs are similar if not the same as dipped beams, except you can't turn them off. Like on most Volvos and Saabs.

Cookie_Monster

nice1franko wrote: »

i left my lights off this morn and drove slow. was hoping someone would rear end me and then id get a whopper claim from the fukers. i need one cos my car is banjaxed.

WTF!!!!

Thats very responsible, that is:rolleyes:

amira

Use fog lights when it's foggy!!!

not when is not!! Can't believe that on a day like today people was not using them when it is the most common light you see on everyday, everytime when it's not foggy...

guess ppol dunno their lights!!!! :cool:

nice1franko

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

WTF!!!!

Thats very responsible, that is:rolleyes:

gotcha

only kidding.

John Mason

LostinBlanch wrote: »

I agree with the op, the amount of cars I saw without lights on in this mornings fog was unbelievable.

+1, i got the bus to work this morning (car is in the garage) and i was shocked at the amount of cars with no lights on, mainly i have say, women with kids in the back bringing them to school.

antodeco

nice1franko wrote: »

gotcha

only kidding.

I think next time you may need to put on the "sarcasm" button! :D

chump

Drove through Dublin town and through Phoenix park this morning.
I'd guess 1 in 5 cars that past me coming from Castlenock direction had NO lights on whatsoever.
I flashed the first 3 or 4, but then gave up. They just kept coming.

Funneh thing is I've been driven demented by the amount of cars during pleasant evenings in and around the city, even when it is still bright, with full lights and fog lights on.

_Kaiser_

Ah yes, the amount of clowns I saw out on the N3 this morning with NO lights on (or minimal parking lights only) was unbelievable!

Of course, the Gardai are half the problem. I passed a squad car on the way pulled in on a nice stretch of wide dual carriageway (where else! :rolleyes:) just outside Kells with the cop's arm out the window, doing his bit for the Revenue. I was very tempted to ring the local station and suggest he get off his lazy arse and pull in some of the aforementioned muppets instead, but where would it get me?!

rebel.ranter

antodeco wrote: »

To make things worse, as I drove past, I noticed how his rear window, and front window were completed misted up. I just dont know....

This drives me nuts, how can people see out of these cars??

Why oh why do people close the vents in cars?
I think there is a shocking understanding of how heater/fan/air-con controls work.

E92

Loads of people who have cars with aircon as standard will be found driving in the summer with the windows fully open. I mean I know aircon fails from time to time, but it doesn't fail that often.

Similarly in winter you see the same cars with the windows completely fogged up, looks like the aircon went on strike again:rolleyes:.....

sirpsycho

Plenty of morons out there this morning once again. How do they get driving licenses is beyond me. No fog lights on, sometimes no lights on at all. Do you people think other drivers can see infared or something! Gimps. /rant

Atomic Pineapple

just on the comment about not being able to see out, I used water to clear the frost off my car there yesterday morning and the car was clear and me goin out the gate then all of a sudden it froze up on me down the road and I almost hit a car trying to find a place to pull in, very very stupid of me and made me learn a valuable lesson, got up 15mins earlier this morning and turned on the a/c in the car and left it running, much better job.

the fog was terrible this morning again is right but i have to say everybody on there way to dundalk had there fog lights on, rear and front

kluivert

Its simple. Put the heat on inside the car, turn the little knob so thats its air is directed at the windscreen, close the vents and your windscreen will stay clear.

Another tip, leave the two side vent opened and directed towards side windows so you can see your mirrors and out the side windows ok.

Another tip, a car warms up quicker when driven, you actually do more damage to a car if its sitting for 10 mins trying to warm up.

I have seen muppets wiping the windscreen trying to clear it.

If there is not much air coming out of the vents and you find that you have to turn up the fan to two or three this means that the Pollen filter is dirty and needs to be cleaned or changed.

paulksnn

"Another tip, a car warms up quicker when driven, you actually do more damage to a car if its sitting for 10 mins trying to warm up."

Kluivert - Are you really suggesting that people drive in frozen cars where the can't see in order to save some wear on the engine??

kluivert

paulksnn wrote: »

"Another tip, a car warms up quicker when driven, you actually do more damage to a car if its sitting for 10 mins trying to warm up."

Kluivert - Are you really suggesting that people drive in frozen cars where the can't see in order to save some wear on the engine??

No dont be silly, but I was just stating that a car will warm up quicker when driven thats all.

Please do not drive a car without proper visibility.

I am suggestiong that people learn out to use the functions of a car.

You need to take the whole post in context not just that paragraph am afraid. Excuse me my syntax is not great.

I meant have the heat on in the car directed towards the windscreen which is helped by closing the vents on the dashboard.

Plus having your parking lights on and your front fogs lights on is not cool or a fashion statement, put on your lights!!!

paulksnn

I was just checking Kluivert.
It did seem out of context with all the other good advice, that's all.

Is it possible for the gardai to get out on the road and issue fines for not using your lights when it's foggy. I know (from previous posts) that it's legal, I'm just wondering what's stopping the gardai going out and pulling people in over their dangerous driving.

Has anyone ever seen it being done/heard of somone being pulled in?

Biro

If I clear the windscreen and all windows with warm water and turn on the AC towards the window straight away, then I can drive straight away without fogging up. I can't leave the car running for 10 minutes, apart from wear and tear, the thing would be robbed if I left it running outside the house!
I can't understand some people in the estate out in the morning wipers on trying to get rid of frost. One girl came out before me one morning, on with wipers, obviously no time to go into the house for water, kept a pull on the windscreen washer which was frozen, then proceeded to drive anyway while wiping vigorously, only to have to stop cause she couldn't see and have me pass her with clear windows!

Biro

paulksnn wrote: »

I was just checking Kluivert.
It did seem out of context with all the other good advice, that's all.

Is it possible for the gardai to get out on the road and issue fines for not using your lights when it's foggy. I know (from previous posts) that it's legal, I'm just wondering what's stopping the gardai going out and pulling people in over their dangerous driving.

Has anyone ever seen it being done/heard of somone being pulled in?

Be no harm. Dipped headlights are a necessity in poor visibility.
I didn't need foglights this morning, the fog was thick enough to warrant them alright, but there was always cars in view in my rear view mirror, so no need for fog lights when they can already see me.

Omcd

Biro wrote: »

I can't understand some people in the estate out in the morning wipers on trying to get rid of frost. One girl came out before me one morning, on with wipers, obviously no time to go into the house for water, kept a pull on the windscreen washer which was frozen, then proceeded to drive anyway while wiping vigorously, only to have to stop cause she couldn't see and have me pass her with clear windows!

Frost on the windscreen tears wipers to bits - anyone who does this will notice it the next dark wet evening.

I used to use water, on bad mornings spent a lot of time running in and put of the house with a kettle, only to have it refreeze sometimes. So, got a great ice scraper, thats better in terms of it not all refreezing as you're trying to unfreeze it, but does take time to do it properly. Recently did something I haven't tried before, just ran the heat on full blast for a few minutes as suggested above (without doing anything else, so no need to leave the car unattended while its running) - and found it clears the windows just as quick as anything else, and much more completely - highly recommended:). A good ice scraper though I'd say is must for frozen snow.

Only about one in 10 cars this morning had lights on in the foggy patches, much much worse than the last foggy morning.

Omcd

Biro wrote: »

I didn't need foglights this morning, the fog was thick enough to warrant them alright, but there was always cars in view in my rear view mirror, so no need for fog lights when they can already see me.

What about cars merging in front of you from side roads etc. - will they see you coming ?

craichoe

If the road conditions are that bad, how about you get an alternate form of transport to work ?

Bus, Luas or Train.

Surely not everyone on the Motorway in the morning needs a car to get to work.

Or if possible work from home for the day.

If your wipers are frozen to the window you will more than likely blow a fuse trying to run them.

Part of the problem is:

When do you turn on your foglights, at what limit, how foggy does it have to be?

I like the system in Belgium, they have spaced markings on the road (tekens), if you can't see 3 of them ahead of you due to Fog, then the speed limit is 90kp/h rather than 130kp/h and fog lights have to be turned on.

Sign says:

cjt156

craichoe wrote: »

If the road conditions are that bad, how about you get an alternate form of transport to work ?

Bus, Luas or Train.

Surely not everyone on the Motorway in the morning needs a car to get to work.

I haven't yet met anyone masochistic enough to endure M50/N4/N7 traffic by choice. That goes for all the other commuter routes too. Surely the oversubscription to the Dart and Luas services only emphasises this?

If you can recommend a form of public transport that'll get me from South Dublin/Wicklow border to the West Dublin/Kildare border in 50 minutes at rush hour I'm in!

sirpsycho

Biro wrote: »

Be no harm. Dipped headlights are a necessity in poor visibility.
I didn't need foglights this morning, the fog was thick enough to warrant them alright, but there was always cars in view in my rear view mirror, so no need for fog lights when they can already see me.

If there's a car in your rearview mirror the whole time then you can always turn off the rear fog light. Was there a car right in front of you the whole time? How do you know they could see you, you could prolly see their rear lights but you cant assume they can see you. Fair enough if you are crawling in gridlock, no need for foglights then, but it's total ignorance and stupidity if 'the fog was thick enough to warrent them' but you didnt bother with them while driving along in non-gridlocked traffic.

Biro

Omcd wrote: »

What about cars merging in front of you from side roads etc. - will they see you coming ?

Merging in front of me? If they can't see my dips, then they're an accident waiting to happen. Anyway, I'd be driving at a speed to enable me to slow down and allow them to merge safely or move over to the overtaking lane if necessary.
Front foglights are designed to help you see. Rear foglights are designed to help you to be seen. Front foglights are really only at their best at night time on a country road in the fog. Rear fog lights are only any good when all you can see is fog in your rear view mirror. As soon as you can see a car, they're not needed. (And I mean see the car, not their headlights, cause you'll see their headlights a lot sooner than they'll see your tail lights).

Biro

sirpsycho wrote: »

If there's a car in your rearview mirror the whole time then you can always turn off the rear fog light. Was there a car right in front of you the whole time? How do you know they could see you, you could prolly see their rear lights but you cant assume they can see you. Fair enough if you are crawling in gridlock, no need for foglights then, but it's total ignorance and stupidity if 'the fog was thick enough to warrent them' but you didnt bother with them while driving along in non-gridlocked traffic.

Are you thick or what? Front foglights don't help any more than dipped headlights from the point of view of being seen. If he couldn't see my dips, then he certainly couldn't see my front foglights if my car had them, which it doesn't.
If I can glance in my mirror and make out the make and model clearly of the cars in both lanes behind, then I know for a fact that I'm safe in assuming that they can also see the make and model of my car. In that case, then there's hardly need for me to turn on my rear fog lights to say "Oh, look at me! I can acknowledge that there's fog outside by finding my fog light button!"

smemon

Yeah it's disgraceful the idiots who get a licence and don't know how to drive with other people in mind.

If i had my way, you'd be fined if you don't have fog lights on when it's foggy. No lights on and an automatic ban.

Was stuck in a convoy behind some pleb doing 60km/hr all the way to college this morning for a good 20 minutes. Nobody could overtake due to the fact visibility was limited (and it's a poor road anyway), plus there were several plonkers coming in the opposite direction with no lights on. There must have been a tail back of at least 50 cars.

Had we been behind a tractor, there would have been collisions - no doubt about it. People don't like driving slow, no matter what the conditions are. If one person won't overtake, it means the car behind has to jump 2 spaces etc..

All it takes is one itchy right foot, bit of inexperience or whatever and bang - head on collision with the oncoming silver car who has no lights on. 3 guilty parties - the guy going under the limit and too slow (which can be judged by the sheer volume of traffic built up behind him), the guy overtaking for not having patience and the oncoming driver for not having lights on.

I cannot defend idiots who overtake, but i can't help but feel so many accidents could be prevented if people actually speed up and use lights.

peasant

smemon wrote: »

Was stuck in a convoy behind some pleb doing 60km/hr all the way to college this morning for a good 20 minutes. Nobody could overtake due to the fact visibility was limited (and it's a poor road anyway), plus there were several plonkers coming in the opposite direction with no lights on. There must have been a tail back of at least 50 cars.

I'm the last one to defend dawdlers ...but visibility in fog always seems a lot better than it is when you're not in the lead car
...maybe that driver actually was going as fast as the conditions allowed?