Things that annoyed me in the fog today

[bigdods]

Well it was rather foggy today, and as ever lots of idiots on the road. I know these points have been covered before but I feel like a rant ! Surely a good foggy day is an ideal time to send out lots of Police patrols, plenty of opportunity to pull some idiots !

My top 5 annoying things in the fog:

1. Fog lights.
I am 5 car lengths behind you. Even in the heaviest fog I can see you. I can see the 10 cars in front of you as well. Your foglights are blinding and distracting. If I flash you I know you will just swerve around a bit but have no idea why I am doing it ! Surely the fact that the car in front has his fogs on and is blinding you gives you a clue ?

2. No lights.
Is it foggy ? no Im ok its daylight and I can read the speedo why would I want to put my lights on ?.

3. Speeding
Its ok, I have my front and rear foglights on - they are like the shields on the starship enterprise so I can drive as fast and as close as I like in this heavy fog - I am invincible. I am of course the best driver in the world so couldnt ever end up in an accident. 90MPH too fast in heavy fog ? dont be silly !

4. Tailgaiting
Gosh its foggy out there I'd better get really close to the car in front so I can see him properly.

5. Speed Camera Vans
Oh is it foggy ? or raining ? or dark ? Our cameras dont operate in those conditions so it must be safe to speed then. Its only dangerous to speed in daylight on a nice clear day ......

And relax....rant over

edited to correct typos (oops)

Edited by bigdods on Tuesday 19th December 09:21

[jasandjules]

Yep.

Amazingly, yesterday we only witnessed one complete idiot. Most people had their lights on (Fogs included, but for many I don't think they have an off switch), and were driving quite slowly and carefully.

The one exception was the fellow who thought he would turn right in front of us, without really slowing down much for the corner.. The car then slid across the road, and actually across the junction on the other side of the road, but he managed to get back out onto our road, because there wasn't a car waiting to pull out. Had there been, he would have smacked into it. All this we saw, only because we were close enough to see in the fog, which means he can't really have seen us before executing his idiotic move.

[timberwolf]

Well I'm glad it's not just me who thought it was some kind of Terminal Numpty Day this morning, then. When the visibility is clear for 400 yards and reasonable for another couple of hundred, it is not necessary to venture forth with enough illumination to mount a lunar expedition.

Couple with other typical favourite behaviours of the motoring clueless; terrible lane discipline, sitting around staring gormlessly at green traffic lights and empty junctions, along with hyperactive and random stabbing of the brake pedal for no good reason... I'm glad my commute is reasonably short.

The problem is, I think, this time of year your average driver's thought pattern is something like this:

"Okay, we're rolling... ooh, he has his fog lights on, better put mine on too... now, do I have enough sprouts to go round or should I pop out and get some more? ... oops, traffic is moving, didn't notice that... better make sure I've got batteries for all the kids' toys, now did that torch take C or D cells? ... hold on, I wanted to turn right here... now I still haven't got a present for Uncle Fred, should I look for something or get a book token instead?... oh dear, got a bit close to the car in front there..."

Leading to the behind-the-wheel behaviour we know and love... :|

[eliminator]

Main thing that annoyed me was the fog.

Numpty behaviour pretty much as usual.

[whitney44]

What has got my goat is the number of people driving on sidelights or even no lights at all. The darker coloured cars can become almost invisible in fog and yet they tool around with no lights looking for a Darwin award..............As long as they arn't speeding they are safe - my a*se!

[SS HSV]

Good rant! I enjoyed reading that. Maybe they should display this on the motorway gantry's

[Redmax]

Agee entirely.

Good excuse to open the wine tonight early though

[Balmoral Green]

For many years, there was a guy near us who ran a Sierra Sapphire Cosworth in white, all year around he would drive with his front wanker lights on, even in high summer on a bright day. Except for when it was raining heavily or foggy, when he would drive without any lights on at all. He now has a bright red M3 and does exactly the same. So predictable, and not funny.

How and why are these peoples minds wired up so?

[djfish]

Thank God!
I thought it was just me who "gets my pi55 boiled" by misuse of foglights.

As it happens I took the oppertunity to go for a lovely dog walk in the late afternoon fog and try some arty farty photos, then destroyed all that calm by having to drive home.

[rich-uk]

bigdods said:

Exactly what I was thinking.

It's all types of people too. Young people, old people, business people, local people, foreign people. How can they have so little idea how to conduct themselves on the roads?

[Timberwolf]

Balmoral Green said:

front wanker lights

I thought "wanker lights" were those little blue LED things you stuck to your washer jets, to indicate that you possessed the fabled deferred success driving licence issued only to those who currently cannot drive for toffee, but may one day in the far future possibly have the slightest chance of showing signs of maybe being able to do so.

The lights which are fitted in a similar place to fog lights, but intended for the opposite use (i.e. blazing away in every condition but fog) I have taken to calling "middle aged dad lights", on the basis that the stereotypical driver most commonly displaying them locally is not the sales rep, the chav or the terminally dozy, but middle-aged men in aggressively driven MPVs.

[Balmoral Green]

You are correct, but in my defence, I dont get out much

[trevorh]

To reinforce comment number 1.
To all those on the M40 this morning who had their fogs on: If you can drive at the standard motorway speeds why the f*** do you need your fogs on? Brain-deads.

[r5gttgaz]

Last night I was approaching a blind corner (maximum speed 20mph in the dry) when a chap of the burburry variety attempted to overtake me, you could not see 6ft in front of you! He obviously thought the road was straight and made a move, unfortunatly there was a chap coming the other way who had to take avoiding measures as did we. Mr Burburry just cuts in at a speed of around 40mph and cannot make the bend, he smashes into the armco and get thrown over the over side of the road and into a ditch, smearing all the cars ocuppants all over the front window.

He then gets out the car, and came up to me and starts going off on a rant about a car pulling out in front of him? I think he'd been smoking something.

[haze]

[quote=bigdods]

3. Speeding
Its ok, I have my front and rear foglights on - they are like the shields on the starship enterprise so I can drive as fast and as close as I like in this heavy fog - I am invincible. I am of course the best driver in the world so couldnt ever end up in an accident. 90MPH too fast in heavy fog ? dont be silly !

I had this very issue this morning, the trucks are the scary ones when they tank up behind you! As I was telling my Dad, those are the idiots who will cause an accident & walk away while the likes of you & I would end up in A & E or worse.

Due to there stupidity!!

[eccles]

i love the predicability of these threads

like the annual A level results moan, the annual flu jab moan (etc,etc)...the first bit of fog produces the 'wankers who drive in fog' thread.

whats the point, a thread like this will appear several times a year after a bit of fog, nothing changes, you'll still get wound up, the idiots will still drive like idiots, so why waste the time.


( sits back to wait for the 'wankers who leave their fog lights on even though its not been foggy for a week now, don't they know where the switch is? or what that orange light is for? wankers!' thread.

[timberwolf]

eccles said:

i love the predicability of these threads

I love the predictability of that post, in these threads

[tigger1]

eccles said:

i love the predicability of these threads

Along with the predictable pointing out of your typo.

People who sit with rear fogs on in a queue of stationary traffic slowly burning through my retinas...that's annoying.

Question: Front "wker lights - are they fog lights or not? I don't think they could dazzle anyone (they're aimed at the road, not the sky) so can they be used in clear weather?
(I don't use them, and I rarely use rear fog lights either - only usually when there's nothing behind me that I can see).

[timberwolf]

Tigger1 said:

Question: Front "wker lights - are they fog lights or not? I don't think they could dazzle anyone (they're aimed at the road, not the sky) so can they be used in clear weather?

Checking carefully to ensure nobody else was around, and backing gently off the accelerator to make sure the 20bhp boost didn't unsettle the car, I gave the front fog light button an experimental stab yesterday evening.

I think the issue is:

a) They are bloody bright.
b) The light spreads clearly and noticeably into the opposite carriageway.

Coupled with,

c) On an undulating road they won't always be pointing at the ground.

So on a clear night I could dangerously impair someone's vision with them, but only in specific circumstances.

Now, one thing that did get to me. The front foglight switch is marked with a =/= |) symbol. The rear foglight switch is marked with a (| =/= symbol. Why don't they use a scheme that makes it more immediately obvious which is front and which is rear?

Edited by timberwolf on Wednesday 20th December 10:41

[R II]

Road Vehicles Lighting Regs 1989 Section 27 Item 2 answers that question

Front Fog Lamps

Manner of use prohibited...

(a) Used so as to cause undue dazzle or discomfort to other persons using the road.

(b) Used so as to be lit at any time other than in conditions of seriously reduced visibility.

(c) Used so as to be lit when a vehicle is parked.


Item 3 deals with Rear Fog Lamps

Manner of use prohibited....

(a) Used so as to cause undue dazzle or discomfort to the driver of a following vehicle.

(b) Used so as to be lit at any time other than in conditions of seriously reduced visibility.

(c) Save in the case of an emergency vehicle, used so as to be lit when a vehicle is parked.


I actually pulled up beside some numpty this morning who I had followed at 27mph for 8 miles and explained the error of there ways to them... Quoting the above Act (She turned them off rather smartish) [Bloke in a large silver car in the dark, wearing a hi vis jacket... well she drew the wrong conclusion] (i didn't get out of the car.. just wound down the passeneger window)