Are fog lights really a necessity? I feel that, some time ago, a manufacturer added fog lamps to its line as a cost-effective marketing ploy. Of course, all others followed suit.
I have often seen drivers operating fog lights when totally unwarranted (forgot they were on?).
Actually, I believe it is a case of those drivers being too ignorant or stupid to turn the fog lights off.
Brian
In the UK, it is an offense to drive with front or rear fog lights in operation when the visibility is greater than 100metres.
As for notbeing able to turn them off - i had a little test in my wifes 96 town+country. The front fogs operate by pulling out the headlight dial when it is at the dipped 9low beam) position. When the lights are turrned off, the dial moves itself back in, thus extinguishing the lights, and requiring them to be manually enabled the next time.
Rear fog lights, however (which don't seem to even be an option in the US, let alone standard) are often toggle-switched. Many's the person i've seen tootling around in their Ford fiesta with the bracketed fog light on, in broad daylight. (typically rear fog lights use the same wattage bulbs as brake lights, but are docused to give light in a
20-ish degree cone directly behind the car - very much a position/marker light.flobert wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:
Manufacturers have been legally required to install rear fogs in the UK since about the early '90s, IIRC.
An interesting snippet:
Unless there are Porsche enthusiasts nearby, many of whom fit a Bosch rear fog below the rear bumper, driver's side, as a "standard tweak".
Then there are the Merc drivers who are oblivious to the rear fog in the tail lamp cluster being illuminated, day in, day out, day and night.
Here in Nova Scotia it's fairly common to see vehicles with the rear fog lights. Or the brighter than usual rear tailight on the side close to the centre line of the roadway.
Brian
Way before that. early 80s AFAIK.mid at the latest.
Interesting page. SEems to ahve been written by an american though who has little experiance of uk laws and practices. A clear example is "For this reason, many European vehicles imported to the United States have their rear fog lamps wired as brake lamps" Brake and fog lights typically use the same power bulbs, yes, but a brake light is not a focused beam, a fog light is, directed almost totally aft. They're designed to be intentionally bright from behind. Not good to dazzle with an intense pseudo brake light.
ACtually, i have had more severe lack of visibility here in georgia in the last 3 months. One time, 5 weeks ago, visibility was so bad, i could barely see the lines even with my head out the window,5 feet in front of the vehicle. I was crawling at 10mph that night, and very wet. Was lucky it was my old caravan in fact, the length of the bonnet compared with the seat height, and the distance to the windscreen in any other vehicle i have is much worse.
, than i've had in the last 7 years in the UK. Don't get me started about the last time i was in
I have fog lights on my car and I never use it. IMO, the Daytime Running Lights are more important than the fog lights.
When I was in the San Francisco Bay area I encountered heavy fog a lot. Walking to school one morning I could barely see my feet and could only make out the path a foot or two ahead - less than my child's stride so I had to take short steps. As an adult I sat out fog that got thick enough I could not see the end of my hood.
Even here in northern Arizona fog is an occasional problem. One night I drove down Bill Williams mountain with my headlights on only because I lacked fog lights (I had a terrific view of the fog!) I idled in 4WD compound low so I could feel if I got a wheel off the edge or hit the mountainside without really damaging anything. Fog lights are the only option I am requesting on my new truck.
Mike
flobert wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:
You're very close, and I was way off. I dug out a reference book to check for sure.
Rear fog lights in the UK have been madatory new-car fitment from April 1, 1980. You only need one of them, that being on the driver's side. So if you have two, only the driver's side one is subject to the UK MoT.
nope. If you ahve two, both are subject to the MOT. My UK work car - an 89 volvo 340 has two, they're in the main light cluster on the innermost sides, either side of the number plate. during my test in, i think, 2000, the bulb had one in the passenger side one. he asked if I had any spare brake bulbs, and when i said no, he said "you can either pay 2 quid, or i can fail your MOt. I paid the 2 quid, got a pair of bulbs, one of which he went and fitted for me, whilst it was still on the jacks.
Friend has a 74 Jago, and his rear fog doesn't work. If he leaves it as is, he'd fail MOTs, instead he has it covered over with thick black duct-tape, completely obscuring the light entirely. AS such its not considered as an item to be tested..
Generally, at least in the U.S., especially for commercial vehicles, the rule is, if it is equipped, it must work. If not equipped, it needn't work. I suspect that explains the duct-tape thing.
flobert wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:
Then either my reference is wrong, or they've changed the law.
It's also possible the MoT tester is not fully familiar with the specific law regarding rear fogs.
If you drive in fog a lot, they really help.
My '87 Accord has flip-up headlights. I prefer to have daytime running lights for safety (Canadian law requires all new cars manufactured since the early 90s to have daytime running lights of some sort; it's a recognized safety feature). So I wired up fog lights to be on whenever the engine is running.
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