Police Check

The Busys are right. I see alot of drivers with fogs fitted in cunjunction to dipped heads. I just flash em and they take em off. But we all know what Coppers are like....

Yes.

They should be independantly switched and shouldn't come on automatically with main beam.

On or around Tue, 11 Sep 2007 01:29:43 GMT, "CJ" enlightened us thusly:

you're allowed more or less any lights on the main beam circuit. You're NOT allowed to have dipped heads and any other lamp greater than 7W.

gotta go out now, email me if you like for chapter and verse form the road vehicles lighting regulations - remove the spamtrap from the reply address.

"> The Inspector (of the two policemen) then changed tack and said that it was

They are perfectly correct, and for once I agree with them!!

Fog lights (front and rear) are only permitted when there is severely reduced visibility, and they must be switched independently and not come on with main beam..

You can of course have additional driving lights that do come on with main beam but they do have to comply with the Construction and Use Regulations regarding heights and location. Without checking I can't be sure, but I suspect that the lamps in the spoiler are too low. Of course they have to be correctly aimed as well.

Regards Jeff

Unless I am missing something here, CJ indicates that they come on with main beam but can be isolated via a switch so this is the correct method. The driving lamps on my D3 (LR fitted) come on with main beam but have an isolation switch, I can't see the problem here. Main beam will always dazzle drivers ahead, so if the fogs come on too it is surely irrelevant?

Andy

Indeed, they should go off when main beam is selected.

I know this is correct, but I do wonder why this rule exists.

If the lights switch off with main beam then why does it matter where the lights are located, and where they point? (in a forward direction!) Surely if they switch off with the main beam (which you only have on when there are no other vehicles around anyway) then what harm are they doing? Am I missing something obvious?

Matt

People riding around with dipped headlights on AND two other front lamps which might be driving lamps or more usually fog lamps are my absolute pet hate and they get flashed!!!!

The problem is this. Headlamp aim is checked at every MOT, so usually a vehicle coming towards you with dipped headlamps will not dazzle you - but add two other extremely bright clean lamps tilted slightly upwards, and you have an instant recipe for blinding the oncoming driver.

Have as many lamps as you like wired into the main beam - but when on dipped beam - two headlights only please!!!!!!

I don't mind a quick flash if I am slow to dip my brights (seldom), and just occasionally if I have a load, or a bad adjustment setting on my dipped beams I can dazzle oncoming drivers, which I can quickly correct if I am flashed, so no problem...

But then you get the moron who is going to "teach me a lesson" and leave his brights full on, maybe some spots thrown in. WTF is that? He WANTS to have a blinded 4x4 coming at him with a closing speed of

Now I thought that was the way it was writ. Auxilliary lamps MUST be wired to operate only when main beam selected. Never did think it was sensible especially with fog lamps, when you need fogs you definitely don't want mains with them, or anythingelse come to that. So I think in this case the dibbles have it wrong, although perhaps your alignment could be improved.

On or around Tue, 11 Sep 2007 07:15:08 +0100, Paul - xxx enlightened us thusly:

The law states that you shouldn't use fog lights with DIPPED beam. Frankly, I see little point in using them as driving lights but this is not actually against the rules. A better solution would be pair of proper driving lights.

Actually, what the law says is that front fog lamps should be used only in restricted visibility and *instead* of dipped headlights.

However, the definition of "fog lamp" is not all one would wish...

Obligatory dipped lamps: between 500 and 1200mm form the ground, no more than 2 may be illuminated at once although you can fit another pair that dip the other way.

Optional Fog Lamps below 1200mm, no minimum height. Alignment: To the front and so aimed that the upper edge of the beam is, as near as practicable, 3 per cent below the horizontal when the vehicle is at its kerbside weight and has a weight of 75kg on the driver?S seat

Obligatory main beam lamps: (A) Maximum distance from the side of the vehicle: The outer edges of the illuminated areas must in no case be closer to the side of the vehicle than the outer edges of the illuminated areas of the obligatory dipped beam headlamps.

which is Any number may be fitted and the only requirements prescribed by these Regulations in respect of any which are fitted are those specified in paragraphs 7, 10 and 12(a) of Part I and, in the case of a motor vehicle first used on or after 1st April 1991, paragraph 5 of Part 1.

The relevant bits are 7: colour (white or yellow), 10: dipswitch puts them out, 12(a) capable of adjustment while the vehicle is stationary. para 5 is approval marks.

So, to sum up. You can AFAICS define your front fog lamps as driving lights and have them come on and off with the main beam. If they stay on along with the dipped beam, that's an offence under C&U, if I recall rightly "used so as to be illuminated at the same time as dipped headlamps" or something like that.

Although personally, I'd so one of 2 other things to get better main beam:

a) add a set of driving (spot) lamps or b) add a suitable relay or so to make the dipped beams stay on when the main beams are on. This makes quite a bit of difference. You can see what it looks like on most vehicles by holding the dipswitch in the "flash" position so that the main beams come on in addition to the dips. I've not noticed much detrimental effect on the life of the headlamp bulbs.

How you do that depends on the vehicle. On some vehicles, dip and main circuits are both run through relays from independent supplies. On these, you fit a relay which is fed from the lighting circuit, is triggered by the main beam circuit and feeds into the dip beam trigger circuit.

On a traditional vehicle with a main lamp feed from the switch which goes through the dipswitch and then to the lights, you can do the same but the relay is in this case fed from an independent supply so that the current through the light switch is not excessive - the trigger and output are the same.

On some vehicles you need more than one relay, depends how the vehicle is wired.

And before someone has a go at me, take a look at the wiring diagram for a MkII Granada, which is where I got this idea. On that car, the headlamps are wired like that from the factory...

Thanks One and All for the advice.

Yep, Austin, that was what the Inspector started quoting: certain measurements from the ground constituted fog-lamps etc ... So I'll just keep them switched off via the independant switch until I can get around to rewiring them.

Well, along with the two 'candles' that are my main-beams, I'm just gonna have to get a couple of CIBI 'stadium' lamps and start burning some retinas!!!;-)

Seriously though, I'm gonna have to get something brighter. It's no fun driving across the Rannoch Moor at 2am, missing deer by inches because I'm driving with the equivalent of two candles up front!!!

Thanks again, All.

Regards,

Colin

So WTF does that translate to in Bollix rather than Gibberish? I don't do barcode.

"Andy" wrote >

But Andy, the Law is quite specific, Fog Lights, both front and rear, can only be used in bad visibility and the Highway Code goes on to specify that is when visibility is below 100 metres. Therefore in a lot of vehicles these days Fog Lights will never be used. The lenses of Fog Lights scatter light so using them in good visibility dazzles oncoming drivers.

If you want lights to assist the main beam then you have to correctly fit Driving Lights with the correct lenses and at the right height etc.

Austin, are you certain you've got that right? I wasunder the impression that front fog lamps shouldn't be used with main beam - and every car I've ever used front fogs on extinguished them when I flicked main beam on - but the Highway Code Rule 201 says, and I quote, "You may use front or rear fog lights (in addition to headlights) .." and quotes RVLR regs

Within the RVLR regs there is a clear difference between fog lights and driving lamps. Driving lamps may be switched to come on with main beam but NOT with dipped beam.

Yes, you're missing the effect of the morons that don't dip their headlights until after they've dazzled you. That effect will be greatly magnified if your dazzled by 4 rather than 2 lights :-)

I love it all these posts are ( so far as I can see ) factually correct however the policeman was wrong for one good reason the FF spoiler lamps on a RRC are driving lamps ( if you wish to check no naughty person has changed them the lenses should be smooth rather than corrugated as fog lamps are) and come on with main beam as intended and in accordance with C&U regulations they should have a suitable warning lamp in the cluster which if my memory serves is on the left hand side. and while we are on the subject replace the standard headlamp bulbs with Xenon doped +50 or similar they are the same rated power but brighter and IMO essential on the RRC

ZoNeHeaD® uttered summat worrerz funny about:

Indeed.

Lee D