Ben WRX Bug-Eye

hahaha... with all the revenue raising camera's hidden behind signage on pointless 50 mph dual carriage ways... nice joke.

ru'

I totally agree on the regular re-test thing.


For example, my GF hasn't driven for over ten years. There's nothing stopping her getting a car today (no way she's using mine!) and driving on the road on her own.

Very scary stuff.

If road laws etc. never changed, if traffic conditions never changed, if vehicles never changed and if people never aged then there would be no need for regular re-tests.

Jay m A

iTrader: (2)

Foglights do dazzle. Not in summer at dusk, doesn't **** me off then.

But Yesterday, 7:30am dark clear rainy morning in suburbia, those bloody foglights reflect off the damp road surface.

Hence the 'that time of year' thread

I find generally the ***** that do this don't start putting foglights on as the winter draws in, they are ***** all year round

KiwiGTI

Why do you care?

And there is actually no proof that they are beneficial (I find it bizarre but it's backed up by real world stats)

http://www.whycycle.co.uk/safety-helmets.htm

MattW

Fog lights annoy me too, not that they dazzle me, just the extra light draws my attention to the car and distracts me. However the people at the opposite end of the spectrum annoy me more. e.g. 7:15am this morning, still dark enough for the street lights to be on (very overcast) and some numptie driving a black escort without any lights on.

One question Ru, just out of interest, why is it ok, in your opinion, to use the front fogs but not the rear?

trackman

That's exactly why they do it, it's another 'look at me I'm a tw@t' thing.

Agree with carrado boy on the Jamie Cullum front. One other though......Robbie f**king Williams! grr!!!!

ru'

Generally speaking, assuming the use of dipped beam, the front of a car has potential to 'dazzle' (in this instance I mean produce reasonably bright light).

The only other lights at the front are indicators, which are amber.

At the rear apart from fog lights its only the reversing light and break lights which produce light with the potential to 'dazzle'.

We can ignore reversing lights here, so all that leaves are brake lights, possibly the most important lights on a vehicle as far as other drivers are concerned.

Anyway, this means a vehicle coming the other way has potential to 'dazzle' but it's a usually fleeting effect as it goes away.

Following a vehicle is another matter; it could be in front of you for some time.

And the red fogs could mask the red brake lights to some extent.

So there's a safety and comfort issue here.

Generally speaking it's undoubtedly wrong to use either fronts or rears unless the conditions dictate it.

However, fronts are (in my opinion) much less of an issue than rears. Can we all agree on this?

InvisibleMan

yes i agree front aint a problem as they pass you by, rears stay in front of you. I guess the white/red lights affects peoples eyes in different ways & more so than in others.

so what about those blue neon/halogen or whatevertheyare lamps that are just sooo annoying. How many here that have had their lamp conversions dare to own up eh....

Mick

iTrader: (1)

I have never seen front fogs that have actually caused me visability problems. I used to think people who used them inappropriately were posers... until I could afford a car myself that had them Far worse are badly adjusted main beam, High beam left on or these new Xenon headlights - they drive me nuts... - but they are legal!
Rear fogs definately can cause problem as I remember my driving instructor explaining that the worst situation with them is:
slow moving car with rear fogs on, vehicles approach rapidly from behind 1st one pulls out to overtake - 2nd sees fogs & mistakes them for brake lights - jumps on anchors and ripple spreads backward with potentially catastrophic effects...

Mick

Mick

iTrader: (1)

Regarding cycling... Also "Evidence from Britain and elsewhere shows that cyclists really do benefit from "safety in numbers". The more people who cycle, the safer it becomes. By contrast, helmet wearing rates are, if anything, inversely related to cyclists' safety." from CTC Helmets

Cheers

Mick

Scot123

So what's the legal difference between fog and driving lights then? And when are you supposed to use them? Used to have a MR2 Turbo many moons ago which had a switch which would turn the front fogs into driving lights which moved with the steering. If the police stopped you for driving with fogs on you could have said 'but they're driving lights!'

Not that I ever used them, the car was gay enough.

InvisibleMan

driving lights are only legal in the gay community, within the Soho district then fine but not outside...

Scot123

Ahhh, so that's why all the Evo boys have them!

22BUK

What makes me laugh is seeing a chav where only one of the fog lights is working...

ru'

I think that's like the one earing thing; depending on which one is not working shows your sexual preferences!

(goes and checks front fogs to make sure both are on )

Huxley

You ask HC I just hit the anchors,it has a far more satisfying effect


And don't even get me started and ashalfs that drive with their whanker lights on

corradoboy

Driving lights are high intensity with a long beam projection for driving on unlit roads. They must only operate in conjunction with the cars normal high beam, and must be switchable. Fog lights are low mounted lower intensity short, wide angle beam, intended to light the verge and centre line directly in front of the car when visibilty is reduced below 100m on lit or unlit roads. It is this low mounting and wide light dispersal that causes the glare and reflection from wet surfaces, which is why it is illegal to use them in all other conditions.



As you can see in the illus above, the foglight beam spreads way into the opposing carriageway, whereas driving lights and a cars normal headlights are focused to light within your lane.

Hol

iTrader: (1)

Precisely!

AND Driving lights are only wired to come AUTOMATICALLY on at high beam.

Fog lights are wired to come in when the driver NEEDS TO 'SWITCH' these rarely used lights on. If you have actually ever driven in fog so thick that you cannot use normal dipped lights, you will see their TRUE use.

Sadly we don't get enough to actually justify them.

corradoboy

They are usually switchable, but only in so far as they work with the high beam or not at all.