Reply With QuoteGood question, but then again I have a Volvo and the headlights are always on anyway.
My German wife mentioned yesterday this very question, I personally cannot think why so many people do as I drive with dipped beam on all the time in winter and never use them, I can see purpose of them if you main headlight bulb blows you still have a an indication for other road users, but just having sides lights on I do not know the answer but maybe you do :D
Also don't get me started on why people in the rain drive with side lights on with front fogs :evil:
Good question, but then again I have a Volvo and the headlights are always on anyway.
I do for that half hour when the street lights have just come on but it's still perfectly light. Silly to blind people with headlights when it's still daylight.
definitely easier to see a car with any lights on. I have mine on auto , so come on if needed. used to think bloody stupid but am now a convert.
+1 :)Originally Posted by Puller
Agree with the "silly to blind with headlights" comment. I put sidelights on when it's just not dark enough for headlights but I want to be seen myself.
Interestingly I've got the "full auto" option on my car but never use it. I'd rather turn my lights on and have them stay that way. I thought that someone was flashing his lights at me the other day and then realised that it was very time he went under a bridge. It was just dark enough to turn his headlights on but they turned off again straight after each one, a bit weird.
Cheers,
I only use side lights when it's too light (not dark enough) for dipped headlights .. I cannot understand the need to have dipped headlights on when it's still bright! That really drives me mad, as well as blinding me ..
/vince ..
Yep, I tend to do the same, especially since the dipped headlights (Xenon) on my car really are quite bright.
You've answered your own question - If you can see they're using sidelights then they obviously don't need main beam. Simples.
:D
+1
Plus, bear in mind this also puts on the tail lights which could prevent some muppet running into the back of you, and on most trucks and buses the marker lights all along the side come on too :)
I have driven with my headlghts on dipped beam all the time even in bright sunlight since driving 3 large Volvo estates in a row for 9 years.
Can't see the point in NOT putting them on,I have driven an average of 30K miles a year since 1985 and not once had a crash other than slight parking bumps,how many times have crashes been caused and people say "I didn't see you" !
My last 3 cars have all had Xenons and can't believe how bad it is in a car at night that hasn't got them especially with my reducing night vision now I'm in my 50's.
^
Equally (if not worse) is facing a car on a wet night with badly adjusted xenons - and worse still those rubbish xenon aftermarket jobs that just make the headlights glow painfully for anyone who has to look at them.
As a guy who used to ride a motor bike, it is a fact that a motor bike with it's head light on is 25% less likely to be involved in an accident with another motorist.
So i guess it makes sense, lights on = more likely to be seen by others car or bike.
Most if not all xenons are fitted to cars with self levelling,I see more badly aligned old style headlights on old nails but agree it is a problem.
The xenons on my BM are always on (set as DRL's).
They're a bit brighter when I put on as side lights and brighter again as dipped headlights (obviously!)
I thought all OEM xenon's were self levelling, as they had to be for type approval.
I like 'em and I'm sure I read somewhere that DRL's will be law for all new cars from next year sometime.
I'm sure someone will correct me if that's wrong...... :albino:
There's a large change in legislation coming soon and it'll be a combination of various ideas implemented in various countries already. DRLs and compulsory side markers are two of the upcoming requirements - and quite rightly so, both are brilliant ideas.
good man! i just dont get it either.
Good luck everybody. Have a good one.
My Fiat 500 always has sidelights on - I guess due to the new EU regulations. Have no choice in the matter, so no point as such. A bit of overcast makes the old 911's dials quite hard to see, so I often put the side lights on to get them to light up. Strange, I know...
On the car: when I think it necessary to show something over than dipped (dark day, early dusk, etc).
On the bike: dipped beam always (too many SMIDSY's about :cry: )
R
Ignorance breeds Fear. Fear breeds Hatred. Hatred breeds Ignorance. Break the chain.
I have auto but leave dipped on permanently even when I leave the car, it turns them off itself.
As for fog light, all the cars I have had you make a conscious decission to put your side lights on and then pull the switch to engage the fogs, do people think it is cool or what? Is it illegal to use them without fog or rain?
As for the use of side light, my old driving instructor said if you think you need side lights go the whole hog and put headlights on, little effect on mpg :?
Scouter
I really hate these DRL's on newer Audi's.....
I have a Focus C max which puts the lights on automatically - its really weird when it puts them on when you go under a bridge/overpass on a sunny day!!
Regards
Tim
I drive with dipped headlights on all the time. I don't want anyone to be able to say "I didn't see you". It's automatic for me now, just like putting on the seat belt.
I quite understand the comments about badly adjusted lights, though. That's why I get my light alignment checked and set at every service (about every six months) - I wish other b*st*rds would do the same :twisted: . And don't even start me on those who just have a nearside dipped headlight working so think that it would be safer for them to drive on full beam all the time :sad3: !
Cheers,
Nigel
Front fogs are angled downwards so are less likely to dazzle oncoming drivers, but are more visible than puny sidelights. So they are better than your dipped headlights.
:P
Yup i believe that is correct - seen adverts offering retro-fit kits to give "the look" for when any car without them will look "dated" :lol:
I always ride my bike with dipped headlights on - The option was taken away in 2003 where all new bikes had the off switch removed :shock:
I don't use the side lights on my car but I put the dipped headlights on straight away if the light is poor, its raining etc.
I think this thread should be called,
"What is the point of driving with front FOG lights on"
Thats the thing that irritates me more than anything,people who insist on driving around with the front fog lights on no matter what the weather yet they never seem to be able to find the switch to turn the back ones on when it IS foggy :roll:
I had a Saab in 1984 and they always referred to them as "running lights" when you were moving and "parking lights" when parked up. I rather like the idea of running lights and parking lights because they're no use at all when you need lights for illumination. I've always thought it was a wise safety feature to drive with "running lights" during daylight.
Eddie
Whole chunks of my life come under the heading "it seemed like a good idea at the time".
Had lots of SAAB's and Volvo's over the years, and always felt the same.
I have been told by a Driving Instructor I know that it is illegal to drive with your front and rear fogs on unless it is foggy
The rears are absolutley illegal to use except in low visibility conditions (there is a certain number of feet, but I think common sense should prevail)I have been told by a Driving Instructor I know that it is illegal to drive with your front and rear fogs on unless it is foggy
The fronts are potentially different. It depends on if they are Fog or Driving lights. Driving lights can be used any time as they are really just supplemental headlights, but fogs (or low visibility lights) are as they say on the tin.
Obviously, I also despise the practice of driving with any of the above on when they are not needed.
You can be fined for having your fogs on but there aren't any police cars out there patrolling anymore so who's to catch them? If the police sat by main roads tonight and quietly pulled all cars running with fogs on and impounded them for a week, road accident figures would drop. After all, your eyes are buggered if you can't see the light on your dash or you genuinely think it's foggy. And if you just think it looks cool or genuinely want to distract people in the rain then you're a twat!
I use dipped lights most of the time. I was once driving an unfamiliar car through Holland and turned on side instead of dipped lights and was told by a Dutch friend I was driving in convoy with that it's illegal to drive with just side lights on there!
"A man of little significance"
Re: fog lights - from the highway code:
Rule 236
You MUST NOT use front or rear fog lights unless visibility is seriously reduced (see Rule 226) as they dazzle other road users and can obscure your brake lights. You MUST switch them off when visibility improves.
Rule 226
You MUST use headlights when visibility is seriously reduced, generally when you cannot see for more than 100 metres (328 feet). You may also use front or rear fog lights but you MUST switch them off when visibility improves (see Rule 236).
Rule 114
You MUST NOT
* use any lights in a way which would dazzle or cause discomfort to other road users, including pedestrians, cyclists and horse riders
* use front or rear fog lights unless visibility is seriously reduced. You MUST switch them off when visibility improves to avoid dazzling other road users (see Rule 226)
In stationary queues of traffic, drivers should apply the parking brake and, once the following traffic has stopped, take their foot off the footbrake to deactivate the vehicle brake lights. This will minimise glare to road users behind until the traffic moves again.
Re: sidelights/dipped headlights:
Rule 113
You MUST
* ensure all sidelights and rear registration plate lights are lit between sunset and sunrise
* use headlights at night, except on a road which has lit street lighting. These roads are generally restricted to a speed limit of 30 mph (48 km/h) unless otherwise specified
* use headlights when visibility is seriously reduced (see Rule 226)
Night (the hours of darkness) is defined as the period between half an hour after sunset and half an hour before sunrise).
Rule 115
You should also
* use dipped headlights, or dim-dip if fitted, at night in built-up areas and in dull daytime weather, to ensure that you can be seen
* keep your headlights dipped when overtaking until you are level with the other vehicle and then change to main beam if necessary, unless this would dazzle oncoming road users
* slow down, and if necessary stop, if you are dazzled by oncoming headlights
I think that pretty much covers it
It is ILLEGAL to use front or rear fog lights unless the visibility is less than 100m
Dipped headlights MUST be used from half an hour after sunset to half an hour before sunrise
Dipped headlights SHOULD be used if the lighting conditions so dictate.
Plus I'm guilt of the brakelight dazzle thing (I drive an auto and sometimes don't put the parkibg pbrake on at lights etc.) I'll try harder in future (apologies to anyone I've dazzled!).
Cheers,
Rule 113 - interesting that you don't "need" to have headlights on in a street-lit road.
Rule 115 - seems that dipped headlights are advised in daytime is overcast.
I pretty much always have some sort of lights on unless it's bright sunshine.
Cheers,
Guy :)
+1
F.T.F.A.
I use my side lights to make me more visible to other road users on occasions when I don't actually need headlights for visibility (grey, rainy days, or nearing dusk).
Regarding front fog lights, I was actually pulled over by the police 2-3 years ago for driving with them one when I shouldn't have been. Not something I do normally as I get quite annoyed by other people doing it, so particularly embarrassing! I'd switched them on while driving back from a friend's house late one night to help while on a back road (there was a touch of mist about which wasn't good on a narrow road with no edging or road markings) and forgotten to switch them off once I hit the main road. A couple of miles later I drove through a village and noted a police car parked at the roadside, which promptly pulled out behind me and followed me out of the village and onto a short stretch of dual carriageway where they popped on the lights and pulled me over. Obviously, I hadn't been speeding with a patrol car behind me (and it's not a stretch of road where I would speed anyway), so when the the very polite officer asked me if I knew why I had been pulled over I had to answer, "No". He invited me to get out of the car and follow him round to the front, where I instantly spotted the problem and said, "Foglights" and apologised. Fortunately, he was happy with that, so I was soon on my way. My own fault, I shouldn't have had them on, but I wish I saw that happening more often.
Dave E
Skating away on the thin ice of a new day
That statistic is not a fact, it's rubbish.
I've ridden motorcycles for 30 years and don't put on my headlight during daylight hours. Your asking for trouble putting faith in a light to avoid a collision.
If someone doesn't look then it makes no difference even if you have a bleisha beacon on your head.
if every vehicle has lights on you just blend in. Plus it's impossible to judge oncoming speed with just a single light on view.
Re motorbike headlights: I can see (no pun intended) the point if you're the only one with them on but just as evening draws in if everyone puts theirs on what's to mark yours out?
This afternoon, 3:20, dull but one of those very clear days, no mist at all. I saw no need for headlights but sidelights were perfectly visible.I use my side lights to make me more visible to other road users on occasions when I don't actually need headlights for visibility (grey, rainy days, or nearing dusk).
I give motorbikes all the room they need but some riders leave their headlights on full beam in daylight and I just flick my rear view mirror to anti glare. Yes, it means I can't see them but driving's a serious business and I don't need an idiot on my tail distracting me.
"A man of little significance"
Hi
Here in Finland and all cars sold are modded to have the lights come on (side and main lights) when you turn the key in the ignition (or press the button if you are posh!).
That goes for winter (20hrs darkness) and summer (20hrs daylight)...
When I come back to the UK for driving the first thing I do after starting the car is switch the lights on, regardless of day/night.
Thanks
deano
I always have the sidelights on when driving on motorways. Even on bright, sunny days I am always amazed at how much more visible Volvos etc are with their 'running lights' so I decided to copy.
On other roads I will make a judgement based on the type of road and conditions.
D.
The only advantage of twats using front fogs in clear conditions is that I know they're not unmarked police cars...
If I dip my headlightslights on a single carriageway road after seeing an oncoming car's approach, and the approaching car has its front fogs on, I immediately go high beam on them. Unless they're amongst non-twats, that is- so my gesture can only apply to them.
My three bugbears on Britain's roads- illegal use of fog lights, the centre lane owners club and large slow trucks (can't be arsed to go on about the latter...).
Sidelights are in other countries described, correctly, as 'parking lights' and should ONLY be used as such :twisted:
Dipped beam always makes you more visisble from a distance (as most bikers know :wink: ) hence a safer option to have them on all the time!
The comment 'use only when too light to use dipped' is self defeating as they become even less visible... :?:
Dipped beam is now compulsory in several EU countries and recommended in others, and apparently is to become compulsory 'Nation' wide - ...
Foglights are a safer/better idea than sidelights only, which on some cars are barely visible.
Audi's new 'sidelights' are, as Clarko once said, 'like a Christmastree in a council flat' :mrgreen:
The use of "Position-Lights" dates back years... Right back to cars having Generators rather than Alternators, where you could flatten the battery at low engine speed with a high load... Hence driving on them in towns wheere there's street lighting.
BTW, they aren't "Side-Lights" (old, old term), nor are they "Parking-Lights" (a completely different thing and also ancient).
Incidentally, you can no longer drive on "position-Lights" alone on a modern car (under about 15 years old). They all have a thing called Dim-Dip on them which is a reduced power mode for the headlamps -- Min 20W per front lamp.
Mike.
Mike so what would you call the lights you leave on when parked somewhere there is no street lighting (like at a country pub :wink: ) ??
Something to aim for when you stagger out?
"A man of little significance"
Agreed, it seriously annoys me to see somebody with their foglights on when it isn't foggy. In fact, even when it is foggy I've never felt I needed front fog lights. Mercifully my new car doesn't have fog lights, but brake cooling ducts instead. Arguably a touch more useful.
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