FOG LIGHT MENACE

Author
Discussion

vonhosen

40,233 posts

217 months

Wednesday 3rd May 2006
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vipers said:
Re comments on this site, jumping reds etc etc, a lot of it is I think the "Jekyll and Hyde" syndrome, Mr Nice as Pie, gets in his little tin box on wheels, and dramatically changes into a monster, with

I own the road
How dare you overtake me
Rules and Regulations DO NOT (r) DO NOT apply to me
I will drive as fast as I like
I will cut up whoever I like, wjen I like

We all meet them on a daily basis I'm afraid, although a minority (I think), they have a nasty habit of causing chaos and generally upsetting the rest of us carefull/considerate drivers on the roads.


Never seen the Disney Cartoon (Motor mania), where Mr Walker turns into Mr Wheeler ?

vipers

32,887 posts

228 months

Thursday 4th May 2006
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vonhosen said:

Never seen the Disney Cartoon (Motor mania), where Mr Walker turns into Mr Wheeler ?


No? sounds interesting though.

gridgway

1,001 posts

245 months

Thursday 4th May 2006
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[quote=vonhosen
Never seen the Disney Cartoon (Motor mania), where Mr Walker turns into Mr Wheeler ?[/quote]

a fabulous cartoon!

[philosophical musing]
One of the amusing things I find with people with groups of people, especially when applied to car things is the "it's not me/us". It's others.

So in answer to what do we do about crowded roads you have to get other cars off the road (not me of course).
Groups of car enthusiasts are always high quality drivers (as well as thinking their marque can always "see off" any other).

So where do these bad drivers come from? It's not me, it can be any caterham drivers (as I have one and am a member of the club), it can't be renaultsport drivers as I am one of them too, it can't possibly be PH'ers!

The answer is I think to be found in that classic cartoon!
[off to do some work now!]

Graham

7db

6,058 posts

230 months

Thursday 4th May 2006
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Graham, at least Caterham drivers know that they will be squished if they let attitude get the better of them...

gridgway

1,001 posts

245 months

Thursday 4th May 2006
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good point! Illustrated amusingly this morning on the way to work in the 7. I was dealing with a bmw 3 series tailgating me in the traffic. Just keeping a good gap in front and gently varying my speed to try to encourage him to keep back. I ended up at the exit of a roundabout waiting for the traffic to move on and he pushed his way onto the roundabout behind me blocking the previous exit (that made him popular).

Anyway we are stopped and his front corner is now uncomfortably close to my rh elbow. He then decides to wash his windscreen which also makes his headlamp washers go. So I get a nice shower of washer fluid!

The good thing about an open top car is it's easier to communicate one's feelings with a good shout!!

Graham
(and of course Caterham drivers are superior to all others as are uor cars!)

7db

6,058 posts

230 months

Thursday 4th May 2006
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Still trying to figure out what the B and the M stand for.

Zod

35,295 posts

258 months

Thursday 4th May 2006
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7db said:
Still trying to figure out what the B and the M stand for.


Well, my BMW doesn't have front fog lights and neither did my previous one.

Fog light numpties wind us all up. In an ideal world all GATSOs would be converted to fog light cameras.

W333

417 posts

223 months

Saturday 6th May 2006
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I'm sure the word "stupid" is a better turn of phrase than "menace". Fog lights themselves don't really cause you any danger

However, most of the people who drive with their foglights on are stupid, so the stereotype is hardly undeserved.

corozin

2,680 posts

271 months

Saturday 6th May 2006
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My suggestion would be to change car construction, so that the foglights switch off automatically when you take the keys out. In other words you'd have to switch them on to use them every time you start the car.

My reckoning is that most of the people who currently drive around with them on all the time are sufficiently unintelligent to remember to switch them on every time.

It'd be easy to implement on new cars if the law was changed...

vipers

32,887 posts

228 months

Sunday 7th May 2006
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corozin said:

My reckoning is that most of the people who currently drive around with them on all the time are sufficiently unintelligent to remember to switch them on every time.


And I wouldnt mind bettering there are those who have absolutely no idea whatsoever what that little switch below the main light control even does, ooohhhhhhhhhh look it lights up!

And of those who DO, a lot have absolutely no idea of WHEN, and WHEN NOT to use them. Perhaps, you and I, and the rest of our readers are but a minority.

TripleS

4,294 posts

242 months

Sunday 7th May 2006
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corozin said:
My suggestion would be to change car construction, so that the foglights switch off automatically when you take the keys out. In other words you'd have to switch them on to use them every time you start the car.

My reckoning is that most of the people who currently drive around with them on all the time are sufficiently unintelligent to remember to switch them on every time.

It'd be easy to implement on new cars if the law was changed...


On our Peugeot 406 (June 2000 model) the fog light switch can be left in the on position all the time, so that the fog lights will come on every time the sidelights are switched on. I think this is a bad feature, but when I drove a 407 the fog lights had to be switched on each time you wanted to use them. That is how it should be IMHO.

Best wishes all,
Dave.

Don

28,377 posts

284 months

Sunday 7th May 2006
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gridgway said:
He then decides to wash his windscreen which also makes his headlamp washers go. So I get a nice shower of washer fluid!

The good thing about an open top car is it's easier to communicate one's feelings with a good shout!!


Ahhh. The joys of a convertible. Some people simply do not engage brain and wash their windscreen never thinking it may splash all over the occupants of the car behind/next to them/overtaking etc etc

Others seem to take great pleasure in doing this deliberately.

EmmaP

11,758 posts

239 months

Sunday 7th May 2006
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PEDMEISTER said:
Guys, what views do you have on the growing trend of traffic light contravention? I work in the county of Merseyside, in the last five years or so, there has been a huge increase in the number of people who steam through red T-light signals. I am NOT a HOB ie Traffic Officer (perish the thought!) I am a Response Officer and answer calls for service. Traffic is not really my bag. However, I am regularly issuing E/FPN for 3 pts & £60 fine in respect of the aforementioned offence. Is this problem just a local one, or is this a growing trend country wide?
I await your comments with interest gents!

Cheers!


:cough: People regularly skip red traffic lights in Nottingham. I know of two junctions that are particularly problematic. Both are crossroads. One is in the city centre and you often see a smash there. Another is just outside the centre and is a traffic signal for the left flowing traffic. This is a problem for pedestrians mainly as it feeds onto the main road, giving ample time to avoid a collision with a motor vehicle coming from the opposite direction. When I used to work in the Lace Market I narrowly missed being hit twice in the space of a couple of weeks. I now never cross until I can actually see that a car stopped.

Far too many people are too busy getting from A to B and in doing so show little regard for other road users. More on the spot fines would act as a deterrant for sure, but a friendly word of warning could be sufficient to make some people more considerate. Three points for a TS10 I think is the best disincentive though.

EmmaP

11,758 posts

239 months

Sunday 7th May 2006
quotequote all
vipers said:
Re comments on this site, jumping reds etc etc, a lot of it is I think the "Jekyll and Hyde" syndrome, Mr Nice as Pie, gets in his little tin box on wheels, and dramatically changes into a monster, with


I find the psychology of this fascinating. People wouldn't dream of acting in the same manner that they sometimes do in a car if they were in the street for fear of getting punched. I have, in the past, been guilty of this myself

vonhosen

40,233 posts

217 months

Sunday 7th May 2006
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View a copy of the Disney cartoon (Motor mania) mentioned above if you can, it's spot on.

gridgway

1,001 posts

245 months

Sunday 7th May 2006
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vonhosen said:
View a copy of the Disney cartoon (Motor mania) mentioned above if you can, it's spot on.

Yep. If anyone can find it, let me know as I would like to see it again.
Thanks
Graham

tigger1

8,402 posts

221 months

Wednesday 10th May 2006
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[quote]Be warned, MAX POWER & BASS TUBE BRIGADE.......... [/quote]
So it's true then, the BiB do blindly chase round after people in modded cars then, regardless of teh number of Audi / BMW exec-mobiles doing exactly the same thing?

Yes, fog lights are a menace, and I appreciate ANY efforts to stop it, but pppurrrlease, don't think that it's all modded car owners who are to blame for every single bloody thing happening on the roads!

Mr Whippy

29,042 posts

241 months

Wednesday 10th May 2006
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Not really the biggest problem out there.

What gets me is that Peugeot fogs are on a single switch, so it's fronts then rears, so if you want your rear fog on you need the fronts on, which rarely happens. I'm all up for selling the fronts on my car, make £70 and loose some polar moment of inertia

Dave

TripleS

4,294 posts

242 months

Wednesday 10th May 2006
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Mr Whippy said:
Not really the biggest problem out there.

What gets me is that Peugeot fogs are on a single switch, so it's fronts then rears, so if you want your rear fog on you need the fronts on, which rarely happens.Dave


That's right, I have the same arrangement on our 406, but the 407 model may be different - I don't recall. The switching of front and rear fog lights should be independent IMHO.

Best wishes all,
Dave.

Miles_stylus

332 posts

231 months

Thursday 11th May 2006
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not only should fogs switch off and have to be re-engaged when the ignition is off but there should be a light on the dash for front fogs on all cars fitted with them. On most of the cars which I have driven there is a light on the DASH for Main Beam and Rear Fogs but never a light for front fogs - usually this is dealt with (if at all) by a light on the actual swicth. This means that I have on 2 occations found myself driving with the front fogs on without meaning to - which was embarassing, wbich I try to remember when faced with people with them on.

Also it should be noted that many people have them on beacuse it either
Makes the car look good - think about all the car mag shots which have all the lights on to show off the "face" of the car etc and show it in the best light possible
Makes others notice them - infamy is almost as good as fame etc. so in many ways flashing them is only feeding the behavour (unless they've forgotten that they're on!)

Miles