Rear fog lights

MajorMax

I've been driving in and out of Dublin throughout the bad weather and i've noticed something very puzzling and annoying.
I've seen a signifigant portion of cars driving with their rear fog lights on. These people put these lights on even in very clear visibility, the only fog on the M4 was on Saturday & Sunday . Does anyone know what this is about? I've never seen this done before in such numbers

corktina

morons.... ive spotted a few too....

AlekSmart

:mad:...Every single one of these Twits is,presumably,looking at an Amber Tell-Tale warning light buring a pattern onto their retina whilst the Fog (I`m tempted greately here...) Light is on...?

It`s a problem often found in a job-lot I find....Car heavily iced-up....letterbox sized viewing slot....rear window defrost OFF....top-hat of snow half a metre high on roof...and most scarily of all an upside down and backward facing "L" sign stuck someplace and WIPED CLEAN !!!!!

I`m afraid it`s going to take more than Gay Byrne to reprogramme these folks

Joe10000

It's very irritating, turn them off please

corktina

Joe10000 wrote: »

It's very irritating, turn them off please

and the front ones too....:cool:

foggy_lad

AlekSmart wrote: »

:mad:...Every single one of these Twits is,presumably,looking at an Amber Tell-Tale warning light buring a pattern onto their retina whilst the Fog (I`m tempted greately here...) Light is on...?

It`s a problem often found in a job-lot I find....Car heavily iced-up....letterbox sized viewing slot....rear window defrost OFF....top-hat of snow half a metre high on roof...and most scarily of all an upside down and backward facing "L" sign stuck someplace and WIPED CLEAN !!!!!

I`m afraid it`s going to take more than Gay Byrne to reprogramme these folks

You called?

Usually i notice these lights are left illuminated on large 4wheel drive vehicles and large saloons driven by people that think by leaving the fog lights on they will be covered even more in the event of an accident or they are completly oblivious to the existence of the fog lights on their vehicles and as such are completly unaware of how to turn them off.

soden12

Usually they are on smallish cars (esp Micras), Bus Eireann coaches (drivers didn't get the payment to turn them off) and the odd culchie who decided that for once he'd turn on all the lights...

one2one

Are you supposed to use fog lights during snow?

foggy_lad

one2one wrote: »

Are you supposed to use fog lights during snow?

No, only during fog.

Bogger77

foggy_lad wrote: »

No, only during fog.

incorrect
Fog and Falling snow
http://www.rotr.ie/pdf-downloads/english/rules-of-the-road%20eng.pdf

james4510

you should use your fog lights when visability is poor i.e heavy snow, heavy rain or snow.
i have noticed alot of fog lamps being left on but noticed more the amount of people driving in the fog or snow and using just side lights or NO lights at all!!!!!

Wishbone Ash

one2one wrote: »

Are you supposed to use fog lights during snow?

foggy_lad wrote: »

No, only during fog.

Bogger77 wrote: »

incorrect
Fog and Falling snow
http://www.rotr.ie/pdf-downloads/english/rules-of-the-road%20eng.pdf

james4510 wrote: »

you should use your fog lights when visability is poor i.e heavy snow, heavy rain or snow.
i have noticed alot of fog lamps being left on but noticed more the amount of people driving in the fog or snow and using just side lights or NO lights at all!!!!!

There is no legal requirement in Ireland to have fog lights fitted or to use them but, if fitted, they may only be used in heavy fog or falling snow.

Mec-a-nic

Joe10000 wrote: »

It's very irritating, turn them off please

I consider myself a careful driver, stick to the correct side of the speed limit, and let traffic merge in front of me. However, for drivers who leave their rear fog lights on unnecessarily, I have an urge to drag them from their cars and beat them with the rules of the road... :mad:

Capt'n Midnight

Bogger77 wrote: »

Fog and Falling snow

I have used them in the rain too, but only in downpours where acquaplaning was possible. Rule of thumb, if you have problems seeing the lights of the car in front due to bad visibility then turn them on. Otherwise turn them off.

sdanseo

Fog lights are for fog, very heavy rain or falling snow.

Although of late I have been known to flash mine repeatedly in quick succession to let the spasticated morons behind me know that the road is made of pure ice, and he's 2 feet from my bumper, and that he should back off before i get out and break him and his car into little pieces.

Capt'n Midnight

sdonn wrote: »

Fog lights are for fog, very heavy rain or falling snow.

Although of late I have been known to flash mine repeatedly in quick succession to let the spasticated morons behind me know that the road is made of pure ice, and he's 2 feet from my bumper, and that he should back off before i get out and break him and his car into little pieces.

Funny if it wasn't true

I've tried pressing the brake pedal (not enough to slow down) at the same time as pressing the foglight switch, but they still don't seem to get the idea.

Ardennes1944

turn them off
turn them off
turn them off!

Terrontress

Capt'n Midnight wrote: »

I have used them in the rain too, but only in downpours where acquaplaning was possible. Rule of thumb, if you have problems seeing the lights of the car in front due to bad visibility then turn them on. Otherwise turn them off.

Aquaplaning is to do with loss of traction. Foglights are to assist in reduced visibility.

If you have your foglights on, your brake lights become less noticeable so you are most likely increasing your risk of being in an accident by putting on your foglights in the scenario you explain.

SC024

sdonn wrote: »

Fog lights are for fog, very heavy rain or falling snow.

Although of late I have been known to flash mine repeatedly in quick succession to let the spasticated morons behind me know that the road is made of pure ice, and he's 2 feet from my bumper, and that he should back off before i get out and break him and his car into little pieces.

Flashing your indicators from left to right for 30 secs works much better, they **** themselves and fall wayyy back

FREDNISMO

leave culchies and micras out of this me boyo

sdanseo

Terrontress wrote: »

Aquaplaning is to do with loss of traction. Foglights are to assist in reduced visibility.

If you have your foglights on, your brake lights become less noticeable so you are most likely increasing your risk of being in an accident by putting on your foglights in the scenario you explain.

True to an extent, but in a downpour where aquaplaning is any real possibility there'll generally be enough spray to warrant fog lights, especially if rain is still falling heavily.

Capt'n Midnight

Terrontress wrote: »

Aquaplaning is to do with loss of traction. Foglights are to assist in reduced visibility.

If you have your foglights on, your brake lights become less noticeable so you are most likely increasing your risk of being in an accident by putting on your foglights in the scenario you explain.

Like I said if you don't have a problem seeing the lights of the car ahead then turn them off.

Yawns

What worried me more was whilst driving from Athy to Dublin on Saturday I noticed only 6 other road users besides myself driving with rear fog lights on during heavy fog going in my direction.

Even more worrisome than most of those idiots was the fact that a number of people were driving in both directions with no running lights on whatsoever in heavy fog.

Cicero

Understand your frustration OP
....you do mention the M4 though..

..if you travel West from Dublin on a night like this, you will more likely than not, experience clear visibility until the Leixlip bypass...then, you will enter a number of miles of serious fog...it's a regular occurrence over the winter months...so people traveling towards Dublin will invariably have their fogs on when approaching the M50/liffey valley area...still not an excuse but possibly an explanation?

Cookie_Monster

Yawns wrote: »

What worried me more was whilst driving from Athy to Dublin on Saturday I noticed only 6 other road users besides myself driving with rear fog lights on during heavy fog going in my direction.

Even more worrisome than most of those idiots was the fact that a number of people were driving in both directions with no running lights on whatsoever in heavy fog.

yep same here driving from Slane to Dublin on Sat. Reasonably small area of heavy fog, maybe 3-4km but a lot of people had no lights on and only 1 other person had foglight on that I could see.

I only had mine of for a few minutes, but they certainly were needed, visibility was very poor.

Yawns

I was thinking the same from Athy to the M9 but it got worse on the motor way as it wasn't just small areas of fog, it was pretty much the whole way with clear patches in between.

There was 1 numpty on the way home tho in darkness. He had his lights no but no rear fog and a number of people didn't see him until the last minute so had to overtake as he was driving to slow to brake in time. Bet he thought he was being safe tho ....

Wishbone Ash

Yawns wrote: »

He had his lights no but no rear fog

His vehicle may not have been equipped with a rear fog light. It's not a statutory requirement.

Yawns

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

His vehicle may not have been equipped with a rear fog light. It's not a statutory requirement.

If you were putting money on it would you be willing to say his car wasn't equipped or he was a moron like the other few hundred drivers driving in the fog with no rear fogs on?

I refuse to believe only 10 cars in 200 I passed that day had rear fogs equipped on the vehicle. By god I'll eat a big giant hat if I'm wrong but somehow I think I'm right in saying Irish motorists are morons at the best of times. It's no wonder all the ads are aimed at don't drive when we get a sniffle of snow, the drivers are too thick to drive in good conditions, let alone bad.

Vego

Most dopes seem to want to leave the front ones on all the time thats a sickner

get_d_hand_in

wot harm is done by leavin the front ones on.

better than some eejits who dont put any lights on...

corktina

Wot harm? well driving at night is tiring because of the oncoming lights, so twice the lights makes it more tiring.Plus the fog lights are designed to shine straight forward as opposed to dip headlights which shine down and left....

People who have them on are inconsiderate posers or incompetants who know no better.....

(sorry, i know this subject is taboo on here)

-Chris-

get_d_hand_in wrote: »

wot harm is done by leavin the front ones on.

better than some eejits who dont put any lights on...

What harm is done by leaving the hazard lights on all the time, or by beeping the horn continuously while driving?
Honestly, fog lights are only for use in fog or falling snow. That's in the rules of the road.
Fog lights can and do dazzle other drivers.
Fog lights aren't aligned correctly for use in normal driving conditions.
Fog lights don't add significantly to visibility.
Blah, blah, blah...

People with no lights on in the dark are idiots who possibly made a mistake by not turning their lights on. Possibly excusable if they turn their lights on when someone else flashes them.
People who deliberately drive with their fog lights on when it's not foggy are idiots. Unfortunately not excusable as it's a "deliberate mistake".

Motorists should use the correct lights for the situation, no more and no less. End of discussion.

corktina wrote: »

(sorry, i know this subject is taboo on here)

Unfortunately you're thinking of the Motors forum. Fog lights threads aren't strictly banned here (although if it becomes an issue we'll either update the Charter or I'll punt the threads over to Motors and then lock them there ).

Yawns

get_d_hand_in wrote: »

wot harm is done by leavin the front ones on.

What harm is it in just not switching your front fogs on at all?

Honestly is it not just easier to not switch them on. Less effort n all that?

Don't put them on unless conditions dictate the need for them. Any driver who doesn't know what conditions fog lights should be used in, shouldn't bother driving. If you fail at mastering how to use lights, I shudder at the driving capabilities of such drivers.

outinthefields

And if you can see the lights of the car behind you turn them off

monument

6 year old thread -- locked.