The use of front fog lights

[Welly]

Just found some 'official' advice on the GOV.UK website:

236:
You MUST NOT use front or rear fog lights unless visibility is seriously reduced (see Rule 226) as they dazzle other road users and can obscure your brake lights. You MUST switch them off when visibility improves.
Law RVLR regs 25 & 27

The definition of 'seriously reduced visibility' (Rule 226), according to them, is less than 100mtrs that's about 110 yards in old money, quite a lot I'd say. They go on to say that as soon as visibility improves you MUST turn the lights off again.

Mind you I suppose cars will do all this for us in the future seeing as were incapable of such things

[Doggy]

Well spotted, Welton.

Now, how do we get the present administration to recognise that the woeful lack of enforcement is preventing them developing this potential revenue stream into a nice little earner?

(£1,000 maximum penalty IIRC / long overdue for revue).

[steve_earwig]

Ho ho ho, this "present administration" can't see any further than the contents of their bank accounts and where the next bribe is coming from

[Sonia406]

Agreed.
Also can't stand people who think it's "cool" to use them whilst it 100% clear.
Boy racers and the like...

[Menophanes]

I have never once used the rear fog lights on any car. This is partly because so much of my driving experience has been in cars built long before such things were invented, but also because I feel that it was an act of criminal folly to ordain that they should be exactly the same in colour and intensity as brake lights. An ambiguous sign is potentially as dangerous as no sign at all. Why could fog-lights not be made (say) purple instead, so that they could not be mistaken for anything else?

[Menophanes]

I have never once used the rear fog lights on any car. This is partly because so much of my driving experience has been in cars built long before such things were invented, but also because I feel that it was an act of criminal folly to ordain that they should be exactly the same in colour and intensity as brake lights. An ambiguous sign is potentially as dangerous as no sign at all. Why could fog-lights not be made (say) purple instead, so that they could not be mistaken for anything else?

Oliver Mundy.

[steve_earwig]

Why not purple? Apparently it doesn't matter what colour fog lights are.

[rwb]

There are laws about what colour of lights you're allowed where -- this is relevant for those silly blue tinted headlight bulbs.

However, I can't find them right now.

Flashing blue lights are definitely out. And I seem to remember something about green too.

[benczuk]

I have never once used the rear fog lights on any car.

Hope you never drive slowly along the A30 over Bodmin Moor in the winter time then....

[Doggy]

I share Oliver's concern about the danger of not seeing stop lights because of rear fogs. It is for this reason that I applaud Peugeot's decision not to fit two rear fogs to 406's and would never consider 'enabling' the other one.

The old fashioned obvious add-on ones you had a generation ago, (and some modern versions where they're remote from the rear lights), are even better.

The rules of thumb I normally apply:

1 Only use rear fogs if they significantly increase the distance the vehicle can be seen from AND you can't see ordinary tail lights at about 80-100 m.
2 Turn them off once you have someone behind you that can see you without them.

My other pet hate is that you can't use the rear fogs on our cars without the fronts. The only justifiable reason for ever using front fogs is because the refelcted glare is so bad you can't use your headlights.

Once upon a time proper cars had light switches that only let you use head OR fog lights separately.

[Captain Jack]

My pet hate is complete lack of lights in pouring rain. Or sidelights that do nothing.

[jonny81191]

My pet hate is complete lack of lights in pouring rain. Or sidelights that do nothing.

^this, I always run with dipped beam on, even in broad daylight (awaits slating and abuse) for the simple reason that I can be seen better and therefore have less chance of someone driving into me.

As for foglights, If I'm struggling to see vehicles, I'll put the rear fogs on, if I can't see, I'll use the front fogs and sidelights only. If you think that's bollocks, drive past Okehampton on Dartmoor, at night, in fog, in the middle of winter, then come back and honestly tell me you could see more any other way.

[davew]

i hate fog lights and have only been in a situation about twice when they would be needed ,how can people not see a car from a few hundred yards away with it's lights on is beyond me.
side lights are a waste of time if it's starting to get dark i don't see the problem with just turning the lights on after all it doesn't cost anything.

[munkymanmatt]

I have to disagree on this one! I tend to drive around with my fogs on a lot for a few reasons.

They slightly improve my visibility - I drive mostly on unlit country roads, it helps to be able to see the edge of the road, and the fogs cast a much wider light than the dims. The 406's dims aren't great and I'm thinking of adjusting them - heads are amazing though. They're so bright that the glare from road signs with the heads on is almost unbearable sometimes.

They improve my chances of being seen by other road users, especially around twilight when the sidelights aren't much help, again I think they're just a bit too dim to be spotted by some people - I drive by the rule that everyone else on the road has an IQ of 40

I don't find them at all bright enough to dazzle, even in pitch black conditions and up very close.

Fog can roll in in a matter of seconds here as I live on the coast. Additionally I tend to drive a bit faster at night as I can see others coming a mile off so it's handy to have them on already if I go flying into thick fog. I just have to turn the heads off and don't have to worry about fiddling around and looking down for the button for the fogs instead of watching the road.


I do get it with people driving around with rear fogs because like others have said, on some cars you don't know they're braking or not. But I don't understand all this fuss about front fogs! They're not even that bright!

[Welly]

So you drive around at night with your front fogs on just in case it gets foggy all of a sudden? have you thought about how distracting it is to the other drivers?

Also you may think the fogs light the road better for you but what is actually going on is; greater lighting in the foreground making your pupils close down....reducing your distance vision.

The 406's headlights (dipped beam) are very good, probably the best I've had in a car. A quality set of H7's (like Osram Nightbreakers) and correctly aimed beams then you'd be hard to beat.