busy dual carriage, middle of the day, bit of fog about but visibility still over 100 metres, old man in a micra with his fog light on. I imagine he’s smugly thinking to himself …. ‘nehhh everyone should have their fog lights on if there’s fog, idiots’
Excuse the generalistion but it does always seem to be old men, old women and young women who do it. Like they go in their head ‘woops there’s a slight wisp of fog, better put the fog light on’

The Highway Code says that you should only use your fog lamps when the visibility drops below 100m but they also say if you can see the tail lights of the car in front of you then you don’t need the fog light on. If you can’t then you should probably be using the rear fog light. I don’t recall being taught this on driving lessons.

tedious tolling post pulled …. bored sorry

You’re right and it’s not something that is taught on lessons or covered elsewhere.

I know a lot of police twitter accounts are tweeting various things like this as we go through a foggy period and have their matrix signs say ‘Turn your fog lights off’ for both the boy racers and others who like to leave their rear one on.

Completely agree it really annoys me; although not as much as the fools (usually in grey cars) that drive in the fog with no lights on at all.

Fog lights in the rain are super annoying as well.

Also cars with daylight running lights as standard sometimes are set where front lights illuminate all the time but no rear lights on.

The bellends who annoy me are the ones with rear for lights on on the motor way and keep them on in town when you’re in traffic behind them. Gimps

Visibility less than 50m in places today and still people driving without lights!

Also cars with daylight running lights as standard sometimes are set where front lights illuminate all the time but no rear lights on.

Definitely seems like a lot of new cars have this feature, where front running lights are on all the time and no back lights. Combined with permanently illuminated dash and switches it seems to confuse a lot of folk into thinking they have their lights properly on.

I’d bet there’s more silver/grey cars (Audis usually) driving round with no lights on at all in the fog than there are people using them when they shouldn’t.

I don’t particularly mind the front fog lights, it makes you look like a bit of a tosser, but it’s mostly harmless.

Rear fog light users can get in the sea.

Along with badly adjusted ‘dip’ beams. I actually had someone tell me the other day he deliberately adjusted them up so they could see further. But it’s OK, because he can adjust them down again with the adjuster dial when he get’s into town (and someone on here said it too, so clearly this is spreading).

You cretinous blinding heap of steaming sprout infused turd! That’s what your main beams are for you edgit! What bloody use is it you adjusting your dip beams to resemble main beams (when they’re usually the same wattage too) if oncoming traffic can’t see the road anymore!

Yerbutt, lyke, who reads the Highway Code Ya?

PeterPoddy – Member
I’d bet there’s more silver/grey cars (Audis usually) driving round with no lights on at all in the fog than there are people using them when they shouldn’t.

Confirmation bias.

Ahh thisisnotaspoon, the badly adjusted dip beams!!

When you can barely see when someone switches from high beam to normal headlights because the boot’s full of sh*** and they seemingly don’t know/care to learn how to dip their headlights!

You are aware that those headlight adjusters on the dash make the lights point more downward as the number rises and not up, which would cause dazzle? If they were switched “up” from say 3 to zero, then the headlight would then be at normal height with optimal spread and reach that the designer intended?
The wheel is there for when the back end is passengered up and boot space loaded, stopping the lights pointing in the trees and blinding on coming audi-ists in that situation

but they also say if you can see the tail lights of the car in front of you then you don’t need the fog light on.

where does it say this?

I don’t recall being taught this on driving lessons.

Are you pre or post theory test? Do you remember studying the highway code for your test?

I’ll only put my rears on when there is not a car behind me and as soon as a car comes up behind me i’ll switch it off. Rears shining in your face are annoying even when it is proper foggy. Once there is a car behind you it renders the rear fog light useless. In conditions like today, where it is quite foggy but more than 100m visibility i’ll put my fronts on. I’d rather someone looking to pull out of a junction gets the best chance of seeing me coming as early as possible.

I stopped chuntering about idiots who have their front fog lights on all the time a while ago. There are some battles you just can’t win.

if you can see the tail lights of the car in front of you then you don’t need the fog light on.

Wouldn’t that depend on how close to them you were? 2 feet away and you’d probably see them however thick the fog is.

front fog lights don’t bother me at all in the day time if it is a bit foggy, you can see them coming from further away. The rear fog light is a bit bright though

I don’t particularly mind the front fog lights, it makes you look like a bit of a tosser, but it’s mostly harmless.

Not so; fog lights are basically there to reduce dazzle for the driver when driving at Night-time only in very low visibility.

At all other times, due to their beam pattern, they’re dazzling for oncoming drivers and particularly hazardous in rain or with a wet road surface.
I think there should be an instant lifetime ban for those drivers who think it’s acceptable to drive with front (or rear) fogs on for no reason, along with Lane 2 hogs.

That said, like wobbliscott, I recognise sadly it’s a lost battle!

You’re right and it’s not something that is taught on lessons or covered elsewhere.

It is covered on lessons, both on the Theory and the Practical as its one of the ” Show me tell me ” questions at the start of the Practical test.

The Examiner can ask, if they get that question ” show me how you would switch on the rear fog lights and explain when you would use them ”

The candidate would then have to turn the headlights on then show the examiner how to turn the rear fogs on and explain the tell tale on the dash and that they should be used when visibility is less than 100 m. NOT just saying ” in Fog ……” 😉

Even if the Examiner doesn’t ask them that question, they will have covered it with their instructor. Whether they know how far 100m is is a different question…..

I followed a white Ford Focus into Milton Keynes this morning. No rear fog lights on in the mildly foggy countryside but then switched them on as we hit the suburbs where it was clear. No idea what goes on in some folks minds.

I don’t understand why cas have these fairy lights on the front that are permanently on but not on the rears. I saw a bloke in heavy traffic on the M4 in the dark with no lights on apart from the fairy lights. If cars need front lights on all the time, why not rears? Perhaps the Swedes had the right idea all along.

expect to see the odd fog light on for at least 3 days after the fog has dispersed….

Also add in drives who think visibility is poor enough to justify their rear fog lights on, but continue to drive at 80+mph.

Front drivers lights don’t bother me, not sure why people are bothered by them? They point down and towards edge of road/mid road, so won’t shine in eyes.
Rears, completely different. I turn them on when I can’t see the car rear lights in front at approx 50m. As bright as brake lights and don’t point down, so can dazzle.

you are Alan Partridge and I claim my five pounds

[video]http://youtu.be/D-wSRYbWJvU[/video]

Just drove home on the South Coast…its a real Pea Souper…the thickest I’ve seen for a long time. Most of it I could drive at 25-30mph without losing the road, but at one point the windscreen went white and I had to slow down to about 5mph until I could work out where the road was!

With the posh computer dials on new cars, forgetting to put the lights on is going to be more common…especially when auto lights don’t come on for fog.

Even our 2009 Civic has an illuminated dash…which means the only clue your lights are on/off is the green sidelight indicator. No dipped beam lamp.

At least on an older car, you have to turn your lights on when you can’t see any of the instruments 🙂

Front drivers lights don’t bother me, not sure why people are bothered by them? They point down and towards edge of road/mid road, so won’t shine in eyes.

They don’t point down, they are the same as full beam lights. Fog often hovers just above the road surface so they are low down to shine underneath it. I am making the assumption you actually mean front fogs, and not daytime running lamps often positioned in the same place.

Also cars with daylight running lights as standard sometimes are set where front lights illuminate all the time but no rear lights on.

Why would you need the rear lights on? The whole point of DRL’s is to improve visibility of a vehicle coming towards you, either when you’re at a junction or about to pull out and overtake another vehicle; why would you need to be able to see a car that’s already gone past you, or which you’re following?
Of course, you’ll always have the problem of idiots who, just because they can see in poor light, think everyone can see them, and don’t put their lights on.
Most modern cars have an auto setting on their lights and wipers so that the DRL’s will always be on, but as soon as the light goes the main lights come on, even going into a dimly lit tunnel of trees on a bright day, which makes life easier, provided they’re turned on…
Some now also have auto-dipping, which I’m very taken with.

I have never been dazzled by anyone’s front or rear fog lights ever. I’m sure I don’t have special vision.

I may be wrong but are some people more concerned with other people’s driving errors than the “dazzle”?

I have never been dazzled by anyone’s front or rear fog lights ever. I’m sure I don’t have special vision.

its probably not an issue if you drive along looking at your phone…

Twice this week I’ve had the pleasure of driving behind an idiot with rear fog lights on when they weren’t needed. Thankfully as I’m neither a young woman nor an old one, I’m innocent of this crime 😀