Questions on fog light use

[Audity]

I started writing this as a rant but somehow reigned myself in (that doesn't happen too often).

Questions: Why do so many people drive with their fog lights on, on clear dry nights? And is this a regional thing or a national epidemic?

Several days a week I commute a half-hour home after dark over very nice, somewhat curvy, secondary roads, averaging maybe 50 mph. Light to moderate traffic. A nice drive.

At least 1/6, and sometimes 1/3 of the oncoming drivers are using their fog lights regardless of the weather. They're not as dangerous as high beams (people are good about that), but they definitly impact oncoming drivers' ability to see the road. And they do absolutely nothing to enhance their owners' vision (I know, I've tried it in several cars).

What's the story?

 

[brianl703]

All that I ever use mine for is when it's raining so I can see the lines on the road a little better..the glare from traffic lights, headlights, and streetlights makes them nearly invisible when they're wet.

 

[Jim 5]

Fog lights are generally used to make your lower front bumper look cool.

Most of the cars I've owned have them, and they never have added any value. The only value I can see is if the fog lights are yellow/orange. They seem to add value in actual foggy conditions because the color of those lights doesn't look the same as the color of the fog, and oncoming traffic can see you sooner.

Otherwise, I'm with you on this point.

 

[michaelc80]

I see lots of cars running the extra lights and quite honestly have no problem with it. Most of my driving is on 2 lane back roads that don't benefit from any street lighting whatsoever.

I think the biggest problem is that people tend to stare directly at the lights instead of off to the side.

If I turn mine on and off on my own vehicles at night I see a difference.

 

[Blue_Goose]

I run mine on most of the time..I figure more people can see me and looking at them (I see other Matrix's with them on) it doesn't glare or blind me.

Brightens up the road a bit for me right in front of the car also.


Goose

 

[Gary Allan]

I'm with Brian. I don't have them on two of my drivers ..but my wife's jeep has them. They definitely enhance the view in the rain (berm to berm view). Hers is the first OEM set that actually did anything in terms of actually working in limited visibility situations.

I think that you're seeing advancing years and failing eye sight. I know that my night vision isnt' what it used to be.

That being said, I'm sure that some use them for the bling factor. OTOH, some of the stuff I see running them ..only a middle aged person could afford.

 

[eljefino]

It is a bling factor. Read up on this situation at http://www.danielsternlighting.com for a rant.

I think, simply, the switch is a simple toggle that never resets. The fogs come on automatically with the low beam headlights so the driver never notices the difference. The OEs are complicit because they think by default this makes their cars look cooler.

If they made fogs switched by "latching relays" that reset themselves each time the car was started, you would not see this problem to this degree.

In Maine, you must turn off your fogs to avoid glare to oncoming drivers, unless they're stock.

 

[stringsattached]

If your car doesn't have daytime running lights, I think it would be a good idea to turn them on just to increase your vehicle's "visibility" if the lighting was questionable.

I was pulling onto a one-way street this morning and almost got creamed (it would have been my fault) by a small grey car coming my direction. There was enough light outside to clearly see everything on the road (I didn't have any of my lights on), but because the car was grey, and driving away from a grove of trees, he kind of blended into the background when I looked at him straight on.

Was that a bonehead move on my part for not double-checking? Yup. Did he really need to have his lights on if everyone was driving safely? Nope. But it doesn't pay to be right if you're injured or killed.

...Just something to think about.

 

[blupupher]

On dark roads, driving lights give a better sid view of the road. I also use them in the day for a DRL since both my vehicles don't have them.
On my Elantra, they are designed to be only on with the low beams (which I bypassed) and on the Caravan, they turn themselves off when the headlights are turned off. You have to pull the switch out every time to turn them on.
If I am in the city, I usually don't have them on though.

 

[thooks]

I hit the high beams when an oncoming car has them on and it's not foggy.

My question regarding lights is this-

Why does it have to be pitch black, can't see your hand in front of your face dark before 60% of the population will reach down and turn their lights on?

Oh, and what in the world do you get out of turning on your "parking lights" when it's twilight????

 

[Audity]

They do illuminate the sides of the road somewhat, but for a very short distance in front of the car - anything that close is history at normal driving speeds, we can't react quickly enough for it to matter.

Bluphoper, my car is wired like your Elantra was. There's a mod for it that does the same thing you did, I think it's a good idea and one of these days I'll do it. (BTW, my understanding is they're wired to come on only with the headlights because some state laws require them to be that way)

 

[Curious Kid]

The only reason I added a set of aux. lights was to increse the lighting off to both sides of the car. Driving down my street and going around the loop with the many roadside trees, I would rather see the pets by the road so to avoid them. I even find the front roof pillers to be obtrusive in this regard. I've also found the added light helpful along the roads I travel at night coming home from work, as they are without roadside lights and are laid through some treed areas. If there's snow on the ground I can get by without them just fine. Other than that they are useless, though the blue-tinged lenses do have an interesting appearence (bling factor).

The car I use to drive had sealed halogen 7" round main lights. Having experienced them, I found myself uncomfortible with the factory units I have in the newer vehicle. Perhaps the new units are better for the driver's of on-coming cars, but left me driving slower for a while because I couldn't see as well. Some reaiming helped, but still...

I find myself using my hi-beams now.

I do agree that some fog/running lights on approach do make it difficult to view, but if you look a little right of center they have less impact. Then there are those people who probably install higher wattage non-DOT bulbs, don't care or know to re-aim after replacing a blown bulb, or just seem to have a high amount of glare/defusion.

There's also the point made in my manual to lower the aim of the lights when towing a loaded trailer or carrying much in the rear of the vehicle, to counter the raising of the beems as the rear settles.

 

[1maniac]

Fog lights are like anything else. Some are good and some are junk. The ones on my BMW shoot down and out to the 10 and 2 o'clock positions and the really do make a difference. Even on dry clear nights. They also do not blind oncomming drivers because they are low to the ground in the bumper.

The $19.95 pair of foglights that a 16 year old bolts to the front of his Neon are not in the same ball park. Nor are the ones bolted to the top of the bumper on a SUV. Add to this incorrect aiming and you have now created a problem for oncomming drivers.

Here in PA your fog lights must be turned off when your high beams are on even if they are aftermarket.

 

[asiancivicmaniac]

Foglights don't bother me as much as some of the old people here driving with their high beams on.

 

[kanling]

I always laugh at people driving around with their parking lights on.

 

[methusaleh]

Here in Massachusetts we have a law governing this, I believe it's MGL C90s7E. For the curious, s6 covers defective equipment and is in itself allows a pretty broad interpretation at the officer's discretion, and could probably be applied as well.

I am a little rusty on this since I don't work much traffic anymore, but off the top of my head it's something like this:

Two OEM forward-facing lights producing solid white light, two OEM forward-facing lights producing amber light, two OEM side-facing lights producing amber light, and two OEM rear-facing lights producing red light are all that are permitted during "normal" driving conditions.

Additional lights, OEM or not, are not permitted in "good weather" by c90, which governs motor vehicle law, AFAIK.

However...in a hypocritical move, you will fail inspection in MA if your OEM front-facing fog and/or driving lights do not work perfectly. Lights, which of course, you are "supposed" to rarely use anyhow!

Two forward-facing aftermarket white lights and/or tinted "fog lights" as well as two additional red rear-facing (like a 1993 Volvo 240DL I had) "fog lights" are permitted during "foul" weather, which is in itself debatable, which is probably why it's a charge only written for during obviously perfect weather.

I can find out the specifics if anyone is interested, I am just too lazy to grab my cheat book at the moment...

 

[brianl703]

quote:

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Here in PA your fog lights must be turned off when your high beams are on even if they are aftermarket.

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I think the DOT or the NHTSA mandates that factory foglight wiring not allow the fog lights to be on at the same time as the high beams, except probably for the flash-to-pass function. (The flash-to-pass function on my 1988 Mustang GT allows the foglights, the low beams, and the highbeams to all operate at the same time if the low beams and foglights are on when the lever is pulled).

 

[White 03]

I have noticed many oncomming fog lights that were mis aimed or something, were brighter than the low beams on the same car. Someone is messing around here.

I will agree with Gary Allan my older eyes seem to suffer more than when I was younger. Or maybe it is my tollerance for other drivers is dwindling. Both are probably common with age.

 

[Mitch Alsup]

A properly designed fog light has a wide pattern that does not travel more than 50 yards down the road.

I will turn my fog lights on when making tight turns on roads with curbs. These lights stay on for about 10 seconds and then are turned back off.

Low beam lights are desinged to allow the driver to see "about" 100 yards down the road, and high beams for longer distances. Since fog lights and high beams are for distances so far apart, there is no rational for oprating both simultaneously.

"Questions: Why do so many people drive with their fog lights on, on clear dry nights?"

We live in a coutry where the average citizen mistakenly thinks that he has been educated.

 

[rpn453]

Certainly a lot of the "fog lights" on new cars are decorative, including the ones on my Mazda3. Since they're useless in fog I don't use them at all, but many people just leave those lights on all the time. The vast majority of them don't bother me, but when they do I just turn my brights on and leave them on until I've passed them.