Fog: driving w/o lights or fogs only=stupid!

Rant begins here :
We have unseasonably warm temps here today and as a result, dense, dense fog. Maybe 1/2 mile visibility, less in low spots.

It's always a pet peeve of mine when people don't have their lights on in inclement weather. Sure you can see fine, but we can't see you!

Today, I see numerous grey, white and black cars with NO LIGHTS on! Complete idiots just waiting to get rear-ended or t-boned. They are just about invisible with no contrasting colors or lights.

Then there's the ones that are trying to look cool, or simply don't understand and use ONLY their fog lights. Guess what, fog lights only don't turn on your tail lights. So when you stop at a light down that hill, covered in dense fog, you're about invisible.

So for those of you doing the Fog Light anytime mod, ya might want to check and see if your tail lights are on. My guess, nope.

Ahhh, I feel better, rant over.

Have a great day and if it's rainy, foggy, snowy or 1/2 before/after sunset/sunrise, TURN ON YOUR DAMN LIGHTS!

 

Agreed x1000
Mostly the morons in this area use their "daytime" lights as their lights when its raining. Again, no tail lights. annoys the hell out of me. Makes me want to rear end them to prove a point to them that they're stupid.

 

ill agree with you also...

 

Yeah, it pisses me off why people do that, all fog lights were ever designed to do was help make it easier for other drivers to see you in low visibility conditions, they never seem to enhance visibility during driving, at least I have never noticed, the headlights are better.

 

Its a law in PA to turn your lights on when raining. I think it might go for fog and snow too, but I'm not sure. I just try to leave alot of room for shit like that. Its not worth getting mad over idiot drivers, because there are so many of them. But we all have made dumb mistakes while driving.

 

The purpose of fog lights is to help you see better during incliment weather, not so others can see you better...

 

OP, you forgot to mention the Police never enforce the laws on these idiots:

 

Great point Hound! Thirty seconds after seeing the latest offendor, a grey car going the opposite direction, I see a Cop coming the same way, oblivious.

Ya know, I'm not a big fan at all of Govt. regulations but damn, this is where they should step in. Mandate lights on all the time for car manufacturers, not just DRL's.

I guess cause I'm also a bike, I always try to make myself as visible as possible. Lights on, yellow helmet, yellow/black jacket, big bike!

I did get about 3 or 4 cars to turn their lights on after I cycled mine at them. So, that made me feel better.

Funny part is, now my 13yr old daughter points em out too. "Dad, look at that goof ball, no lights!"

 

agreed

 

I hate the drivers who just turn on their parking lights. They're called parking lights, not driving lights! How hard is it to go one extra click?

 

I have to disagree with this, just because some people are stupid, does not mean I should be penalized for it. I don't want my lights on all the time. I hate it when people park on a street sitting in the car and leave the headlights on and blind everyone in front of them. Its bad enough now when people can turn lights off, let alone if they can't. Just leave room and take your time.

 

I might be guilty of that one from time to time...

 

Agreed. How about the people that assume their headlights are on because their dash is lit up? It amazes me that people drive around at night with no headlights and for some reason can't tell that there's no light shining on the road or the car in front of them. And then they look at you like you're crazy when you flash your lights at them. I think if car makers put in gauge clusters that are lit full time, they need to put in auto-on headlights.

 

Some fog is so dense it requires you to turn off your headlights and only use your fogs in order to see. In that case I would turn on my parking lights and my fogs so my brake lights are visible.

I have been driving in fog so dense my parking lights were too bright and I had to use my hazards with my head hanging out the window and my fogs turned off.

Common sense would say pull over, but in my circumstance it was not an option being on a single lane mountain road.

Driving with your hazards on is always a good idea if your going slower then other traffic AS LONG as you TURN THEM OFF before a lane change or turn because your turn signals are your hazards.

I'm sure some DB will try to flame me for what I do, but unless your in my shoes I could care less what you think.

 

LOL, me too. Sometimes I like alittle light, and not quite sure if dark enough for headlights.

 

Most states have laws stating lights must be turned on between 30 minutes before sun set - 30 minutes after sunrise.

My state requires light be on if your windshield wipers are on. PA requires lights on for all road work areas.

 

Agreed. I'm about fed up being penalized for the stupidity of others. It boils down to an absence of personal responsibilty, but that's another rant.

 

Yeah you have a good point. I usually try to make it a point to turn my headlights off in the morning when I get the mcdonalds urge and go through drive thru at 5:30AM. I feel bad when I'm right up on the car in front of me and my lights are shining right through their back windows obviously I stay back plenty far enough on the roads though

 

Damn, you're right, I forgot about that point and I hate it too. Well, can we mandate NOT BEING STUPID!?

 

Agreed. I know when to use my lights. And i dont use just fogs ill have the parking lights on too thus having my tails on. Granted i use all my lights when visibilty dictates needing them.

My main issue with automakers is putting DRL's in that use low powered headlights and then not have the car have auto headlights. I agree too many people are too stupid to know the difference. If they want to put DRL's in they need to be accompanied by auto headlights. Or make the DRL's like they are in the Taco so you dont confuse it with your headlights being on.