Annual fog light moan

[Nigel-YZ1]

Some adverts now call front fog lights 'driving lights'.

It's fairly standard in the Peaks to have front fogs on at night.

Pet hates:
1. The 2 or 3 seconds it takes people to switch off main beam when another car comes along.
2. Xenon lights.
3. Holding car on foot brake - Just hold my hand up in front of my eyes. Sometimes the red hand in the mirror sets a guilt reaction off and they remember what the handbrake is for.

 

[Dan B]

One of the things that I find myself unable to enjoy is being behind drivers who sit at red lights holding the car on the footbrake. That usually shines the eye-level brake light into me.... eyes.

When I am King, it will be illegal to illuminate high-level brake lights while stationary when there is another vehicle behind you.

I can't help feeling that it should not be beyond the wit of humankind (or even of car designers, accepting that they may well be of another species) to invent a locking foot brake that disengages when the accelerator is applied, and this would go a long way to reducing the risk of rear-end shunts in traffic when so many drivers evidently don't want to wear their handbrake arm out

 

[Mad at urage]

I've noticed this more recently with all the increased night time cycling, high beams on country roads, they don't dip for oncoming cyclists even though their lights make me look like some odd floating christmas tree with all my reflective bits, i find that if i look at the road in front of my wheel i'm ok until they actually pass, at which point my vision is totaly washed out for a few seconds. kinda scary tbh
pete

Try closing one eye whilst looking at the verge/kerb, this allows quicker recovery (that eye's pupil isn't contracted down hard) and keeps you aware of how far out you are/aren't.


Re. the rear brake lights: Some cars (mine included ) start trying to creep forward if the foot is taken off the brake (clutch is tied in with foot brake but not hand brake). If there (appears to be) time, I'll put it into 'park' and release the foot brake, but that then takes more time (and foot back on the brake) to engage drive again.

 

[Hip Priest]

My mate used to have his foglights on whenever it got dark because 'it looks cooler'.

He has grown up a bit now.

 

[Gixxerman]

My mate used to have his foglights on whenever it got dark because 'it looks cooler'.

One of my old work colleages also did this in his Peugeot 306. However, one morning he came in complaining about being given a ticket off plod for doing so. After that he stopped doing it. Can't quite remember what he said the offence was. I think it was along the lines of "driving without due consideration for other road users".

 

[d87heaven]

One of my old work colleages also did this in his Peugeot 306. However, one morning he came in complaining about being given a ticket off plod for doing so. After that he stopped doing it. Can't quite remember what he said the offence was. I think it was along the lines of "driving without due consideration for other road users".

To be honest you should get a ticket just for owning a Peugeot, most useless piece of rubbish I have ever owned.

 

[Bicycle]

To be honest you should get a ticket just for owning a Peugeot, most useless piece of rubbish I have ever owned.

I take a rather harsher line than you.

I'd give people a custodial sentence just for buying one... which it appears you did.

Take him down!

 

[StuartG]

I don't usually say nice things abouit Wales - but their enforcement of fog light misuse is one of them. And I did get caught by one of their units while driving. It was because my right hand headlight failed while driving down the M4 so switching on the fog lights was the only way of presenting myself as a full width vehicle. Gladly the copper bought the story. But it is one of the areas I really think they should enforce nationwide.

Notwithstanding Monday night in SW Wales no oncoming motorist thought it worthwile dipping his lights for an oncoming cyclist. Bar Stewards!

 

[gaz]

I do hate it when I see people that have their side lights on and then their fog lights instead of using their main beam.

 

[snorri]

Try closing one eye whilst looking at the verge/kerb, this allows quicker recovery (that eye's pupil isn't contracted down hard) and keeps you aware of how far out you are/aren't.

Keeping your head down and drifting towards the middle of the road in a 'where am I, I'm blinded' sort of way usually achieves a slowing down and dipping of lights.
The fact that main beams are still employed can usually be taken as an indication of there being no motor vehicle behind the cyclist.

 

[Bicycle]

I do hate it when I see people that have their side lights on and then their fog lights instead of using their main beam.

On most cars, fog lights are disabled unless used in conjunction with dipped beam.

They won't work with side lights or main beam. Only dipped beam.

If set up correctly they provide a fan'shaped beam a shortish distance ahead of the car, pointed slightly downward.

You won't see these used in conjunction with side lights.

Some people (and some manufacturers) fit something called a Driving Light, which is like a supplement to a main-beam headlight. I'm not sure why folk do that in the UK, but they do. They are the ones more likely to dazzle oncoming road users.

 

[Silver Fox]

Pet hates:
3. Holding car on foot brake - Just hold my hand up in front of my eyes. Sometimes the red hand in the mirror sets a guilt reaction off and they remember what the handbrake is for.

That really gets on my nerves too along with drivers who sit at the traffic lights then when they change, drive forward a couple of feet and put the right turn indicator on.

As for the red hand in the mirror, some motorists have yet to discover what they're for.