Foglights on Today FM now

Voodoomelon

P.C. wrote: »

They still distract me!

But you are argueing.

I find them dazzling and dangerous, so why are you still using them??

I am happy that you are never dazzled by them, but I am.

Not optional on a lot of cars these days - even on a lot of 'cheap' cars they are standard, and note your use of the words 'saftey aid', it says a lot.

Maybe if the law was enforced, and they gave out penalty points for the incorrect use of foglights it would do a lot to stop there missuse.

Essentially what i'm saying comes down to this. I'm not dazzled by front foglights. You are, but i'm saying i'm not, thats all.
My foglights are not dazzling to me or anyone else that I know. I VERY much doubt that you would find mine dazzling, i will post pictures if you want from serveral angles to prove a point.

I never denied that they are a safety aid, i was just saying they aren't marketed as such.

Penalty points on the misuse of foglights would be an incredible waste of Garda time, that really would be a step to far, what's next, fines for pulling into your drive at night with your headlights on, dazzling your neighbours?

P.C.

Voodoomelon wrote: »

Because i've seen my car being driven by other people with them on, and as i stand by the side of the road with family members or friends or whoever they may be, the fogs don't dazzle anyone. Irish people having foglights on may be a bad habit from a rules of the road aspect, but I personally don't see it as being a dangerous one.

Misaligned headlight drivers are the ones that should be put of the road, the drivers of those cars must know they are misaligned with their headlight beam going above peoples bonnets or bonnet height on a wall or tree. Now that's maddening.

Again, they dazzel me, so, please don't say they don't dazzel anyone.

This thread is not about misaligned headlights, it is about fog lights.
You may start a thread about misaligned headlights if you like, but don't use them as a defence for using your foglights.

Voodoomelon

congo_90 wrote: »

to be honest i dont mind what car your drivin but for example my da drives a Fiat doblo and he has the same mindset as you until i told him one day when driving towards me how much of a glare his lights are. Perhaps you have a low, low bonnet

while i dont approve people with misaligned headlights but sometimes its suttle and is involuntary unlike switching on fog lights which will blind people.

some people have fully loaded cars and dont know how to lower them from inside again not defending them.

Whereas people seem to find foglights "dazzling", misaligned headlights are blinding and are infinitely worse. I have a saloon height bonnet and some of the worse offenders for this are Micras for some reason, shocking high headlight elevation. I align my headlight level according to the number of people in the car as you're supposed to, i'd say 1% of people on the road that have this capaibility do so.

congo_90

yep this thread has gone waay off topic
Sorry mods for wandering off into a rant .. seems to be another fog light thread just like the 'overtaking lane and who should use it' threads!

Voodoomelon

P.C. wrote: »

Again, they dazzel me, so, please don't say they don't dazzel anyone.

This thread is not about misaligned headlights, it is about fog lights.
You may start a thread about misaligned headlights if you like, but don't use them as a defence for using your foglights.

I'm not trying to change the subject, i'm baffled why this is the topic of conversation and not mis-aligned headlights. When I said anyone, i meant anyone that's looking at my car when i'm standing there, that was pretty clear.

congo_90

Voodoomelon wrote: »

Whereas people seem to find foglights "dazzling", misaligned headlights are blinding and are infinitely worse.

imo sometimes the difference is hard to notice

Voodoomelon wrote: »

I have a saloon height bonnet and some of the worse offenders for this are Micras for some reason, shocking high headlight elevation. I align my headlight level according to the number of people in the car as you're supposed to, i'd say 1% of people on the road that have this capaibility do so.

ah come on now give us credit where its due.. 1.5% :P


my last post here

Voodoomelon

congo_90 wrote: »

yep this thread has gone waay off topic
Sorry mods for wandering off into a rant .. seems to be another fog light thread just like the 'overtaking lane and who should use it' threads!

Did you really see it going any other way? Those who do use them and those who don't, put them together for discussion and this is what happens.

P.C.

congo_90 wrote: »

yep this thread has gone waay off topic
Sorry mods for wandering off into a rant .. seems to be another fog light thread just like the 'overtaking lane and who should use it' threads!

Yip. Some people think it is cool to drive in the overtaking lane. :cool:

Enough said.

Voodoomelon

Finally, something we can agree on. I hate people who do that.

vibe666

Voodoomelon wrote: »

My foglights are low wattage, low glare and yes I think the car looks better with them on.

well, I think they make anyone who uses them when it's not foggy look like an ignorant prick with absolutely no consideration for anyone but themselves..

Voodoomelon wrote: »

If a Garda told me to switch them off at a checkpoint, I would do so and turn them back on a mile down the road.

and you've just proved that you fit nicely into that camp.

headlights on dipped and high beam have a very specific beam pattern designed to take into account oncoming traffic, hence the beam deflectors you have to put on when you drive on the right hand side in mainland Europe etc. to prevent dazzling other road users which would be on the opposite side of you.

the beam pattern for headlights covers both your side of the road and the immediate verge to your left, whilst minimising the amount of beam that crosses past the right hand side of your car so as not to dazzle oncoming traffic.

fog lights are designed for use in conditions of reduced visibility, specifically FOG and project a beam very low down on the road so as to get as much of the beam as possible under the fog to minimise the reflection caused by the water particles that make up said fog. You may notice (if you're paying attention) that fog is much thinner the lower it gets (6"-12" from the ground) making fog lights that are lower than your headlights more effective in this case.

you'll probably have noticed that in the few instances when it's REALLY foggy and you just change to your high beams instead of your dipped lights that you actually get less visibility due to all the tiny water droplets acting like mirrors to reflect your lights back at you. The whole point of fog lights is to get the beam under the more dense fog to light your way more clearly.

In most cases fog lights aren't any more bright than regular headlights, but the beam is much wider and encroaches on the opposite carriageway a lot more than headlights do, which is the reason that so many people find them dazzling despite everyone that voodoomelon knows at the school for the blind not having any issues with his own fog lights.

peoples justifications for using fog lights when it's not foggy are:

1. they make you look cooler

2. they make you more 'visible' to other road users and therefore safer

3. they help you see at night better

in answer to that:

1. no they don't, they make you look like an ignorant prick with no consideration for the safety or well being of other road users.

2. if it's during the day then side/running lights are more than sufficient for this purpose (as dictated by the law). if it's during the night then two correctly aligned functioning headlights will do that just fine (as dictated by the law). impairing the visibility of oncoming traffic with a beam of light from your fogs that encroaches onto their carriageway is not safe (as dictated by the the law) and is a hazard to other road users.

3. they are not designed to help you see at night better, they have a very specific use (the clue is in their name) and should only be used in situations of reduced visibility as they were designed to do. if you have correctly aligned functioning headlights they will do the job just fine. if you are in a city then chances are that there will be street lights to help this even more. if you are in the country with no street lighting then other road users will help light your way with their correctly aligned functioning headlights. in situations where there are no other road users and it's dark you have your main beams to improve your visibility, which are designed so they can be turned off quickly with a flick of your wrist if you meet any other cars.

GreeBo

Voodoomelon wrote: »

Because i've seen my car being driven by other people with them on, and as i stand by the side of the road

I'm not sure what sort of juggernaut you are driving, but when Im sitting in my car my eyeline is a hell of a lot lower than when I am standing beside my car.
Maybe you should try sitting in another car as your car drives towards you on a wet road and then decide if they are stupid or not.

It BeeMee

Voodoomelon wrote: »

These lights are even marketed as being "cool to have" and "enhancing the look of the car" BY THE CAR MANUFACTURERS (not shouting, emphasising).

Care to show an example?
Showing a photo with the foglights on doesn't count. The brochure for my car shows the interior with all the airbags inflated, but I don't drive around like that...

Voodoomelon wrote: »

Why do more expensive, desirable cars have them as standard? Why do all sport versions of cars have front fog lights? Why do all coupés have foglights?

It's an aesthetic feature - extra sparkling glass on the front of a car can look attractive. Of course, this only works in daytime.

After all this rubbish talk here I made sure to stare at every car last night and if anybody is blinded by FRONT fogs then they are also blinded by low beams and that is a fact because they are not blinding and they do not make any difference to distance perception. They do however give a some extra light along by the side of the road, I tested this by driving with them off and they definitely make a difference. They make you more visible and I might get shot for this but cars do look better at night with four lights at the front especially if the fogs are round.

No amount of arguing on here will stop my routine day or night of getting in to my car and putting on my low beams and front fogs before driving off. Also most people I meet on the road use there front fogs so I think its the minority that have a problem with them rather than the majority.

johnnyrotten

Joy Loud Upstart wrote: »

After all this rubbish talk here I made sure to stare at every car last night and if anybody is blinded by FRONT FOGS then they are also blinded by low beams and that is a fact because they are not blinding and they do not make any difference to distance perception. They do however give a some extra light along by the side of the road, I tested this by driving with them off and they definitely make a difference. They make you more visible and I might get shot for this but cars do look better at night with four lights at the front especially if the FOGSare round.

No amount of arguing on here will stop my routine day or night of getting in to my car and putting on my low beams and front FOGS before driving off. Also most people I meet on the road use there front FOGS so I think its the minority that have a problem with them rather than the majority.

Fog

-Chris-

Joy Loud Upstart wrote: »

I might get shot for this but cars do look better at night with four lights at the front especially if the fogs are round.

:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:

peasant

Joy Loud Upstart wrote: »

I might get shot for this but cars do look better at night with four lights at the front especially if the fogs are round.

...not worth the powder ...

Voodoomelon

Here's a question. When do foglights stop being foglights? What defines a foglight? Someone mocked the fact that they refered to them as spotlights earlier, perhaps that person added them as spotlights as aftermarket. If the bulb is changed, are they still foglights because of their position?

L1011

Joy Loud Upstart wrote: »

No amount of arguing on here will stop my routine day or night of getting in to my car and putting on my low beams and front fogs before driving off. Also most people I meet on the road use there front fogs so I think its the minority that have a problem with them rather than the majority.

Just have to wait till the Guards stop you doing it then :rolleyes:

Its illegal, you ARE blinding some people, and nowhere near the majority of cars in Ireland even have front fogs.

-Chris-

Voodoomelon wrote: »

Here's a question. When do foglights stop being foglights? What defines a foglight? Someone mocked the fact that they refered to them as spotlights earlier, perhaps that person added them as spotlights as aftermarket. If the bulb is changed, are they still foglights because of their position?

It's already been covered, but normal dips and full beams are tilted left so as not to dazzle oncoming traffic.

Fog/spot/auxiliary lights point dead ahead (and in the case of foglights, have a wide spread of light).

I would expect that when a set of lamps are correctly aligned, within the right measurement parameters (min. distance from the sides of the car, min. height, min. brightness), that they're the normal lights designed for anytime use.
If they don't conform to these criteria - i.e. they're designed for a specific purpose - then they should only be used for this purpose.

GreeBo

Joy Loud Upstart wrote: »

After all this rubbish talk here I made sure to stare at every car last night and if anybody is blinded by FRONT fogs then they are also blinded by low beams and that is a fact because they are not blinding and they do not make any difference to distance perception. They do however give a some extra light along by the side of the road, I tested this by driving with them off and they definitely make a difference. They make you more visible and I might get shot for this but cars do look better at night with four lights at the front especially if the fogs are round.

No amount of arguing on here will stop my routine day or night of getting in to my car and putting on my low beams and front fogs before driving off. Also most people I meet on the road use there front fogs so I think its the minority that have a problem with them rather than the majority.

Like a lot of people Im still in the fog on when I should use certain lights on my car. For example, I havent the foggiest when to use my brake lights or my reversing lights. And as for my indicators, who knows!
Surely manufacturers should name them in some way so that you know what they are for? I mean my handbrake is a brake that I use with my hand. Why is there no hint for my fog lights, or reverse lights or brake lights?

Oh wait... :rolleyes:

GreeBo

GreeBo wrote: »

Like a lot of people Im still in the fog on when I should use certain lights on my car. For example, I havent the foggiest when to use my brake lights or my reversing lights. And as for my indicators, who knows!
Surely manufacturers should name them in some way so that you know what they are for? I mean my handbrake is a brake that I use with my hand. Why is there no hint for my fog lights, or reverse lights or brake lights?

Oh wait... :rolleyes:

Im sure if you think about it there are plenty of things in the world named after there original use but with lots of other applications.

Just as a matter of interest I was living in london for a year and always used my front fogs, never had any hassle from the police, I was actually never stopped once in the year.

I have enough of this argument anyway there are real dangers on the roads of Ireland and we can see it everyday it is a joke that fogs lights are being talked about like they were a menace as bad as people with one light, people driving in the middle of the road on country roads(mainly women) and dangerous overtaking etc. This is what I see resulting in near misses on the road not a car that can be seen better because it is using all the lights provided.

GreeBo

Joy Loud Upstart wrote: »

Im sure if you think about it there are plenty of things in the world named after there original use but with lots of other applications.

<snip>

(mainly women)

well it seems that you are aptly named. Obnoxious.

Joy Loud Upstart wrote: »

This is what I see resulting in near misses on the road not a car that can be seen better because it is using all the lights provided.

I take it from this that you drive with your rear fogs on also and you full (undipped) beams?

/edit
not to mention with you boot open so that light is on, all the doors open for both the internal and door lights
and finally the map reading lights?

L1011

You don't see a car better because it has its fogs on. You see its headlights, and you see these extra, pointless lights beneath which at worst could cause you to "see" two vehicles rather than one.

Most people here have had enough of you trying to justify breaking the law because 'it looks better', as your sole argument seems to be.

GreeBo

GreeBo wrote: »

.


I take it from this that you drive with your rear fogs on also and you full (undipped) beams?

/edit
not to mention with you boot open so that light is on, all the doors open for both the internal and door lights
and finally the map reading lights?

No I doubt the map reading light would help help illuminate the road ahead and rear fogs are very annoying that I will agree.

In any case I have had enough of this argument.

Wertz

P.C. wrote: »

Yip. Some people think it is cool to drive in the overtaking lane. :cool:

Enough said.

Probably the same clowns who think it's okay to drive around with fogs on because it makes their car look cool.

GreeBo

Joy Loud Upstart wrote: »

No I doubt the map reading light would help help illuminate the road ahead and rear fogs are very annoying that I will agree.

But then you contradict yourself.
Your argument for fog lights is "a car that can be seen better because it is using all the lights provided."

So why not rear fogs and full beams (and anything else you can stick on)?

-Chris-

Joy Loud Upstart wrote: »

I have enough of this argument anyway there are real dangers on the roads of Ireland and we can see it everyday it is a joke that fogs lights are being talked about like they were a menace as bad as people with one light, people driving in the middle of the road on country roads(mainly women) and dangerous overtaking etc.

People giving out about fog lights in a fog light thread? Well I never...

If you want to read rants about people driving in the middle of the road on country roads(mainly women), you'll need to go to the people driving in the middle of the road on country roads(mainly women) thread.

Marcus.Aurelius

I've always made a point of berating drivers with fog lights on after they've been stopped for speeding or whatever. It's just bad manners, the spot light nature of the lamps just reflects off the road back into your eyes if you're coming against them. Rear fogs will get you a really bad bollicking if you insist on using them when there is no dense fog.

I've seen grannies and boy racers alike using full front and rear when it gets misty or slightly drizzly.

Definitely a pet hate.

AudiChris

AudiChris wrote: »

People giving out about fog lights in a fog light thread? Well I never...

If you want to read rants about people driving in the middle of the road on country roads(mainly women), you'll need to go to the people driving in the middle of the road on country roads(mainly women) thread.

My point was the thread should not exist. As I said early on in this thread no body I have spoken to about this outside internet land can see any problem at all with using front fog lights and I have made the point to quite a lot of people by now. I would have never known people had a problem with them myself had I not seen it on boards.

-Chris-

Do you think maybe all the time they spend in front of computer monitors looking at boards.ie has maybe damaged their vision?