Sidelights acceptable in fog?

[lordlee]

Thick fog on my way into work this morning and quite a few drivers were using their sidelights. Do you think this is acceptable?

[kambites]

lordlee said:

Thick fog on my way into work this morning and quite a few drivers were using their sidelights. Do you think this is acceptable?

You mean as opposed to dipped-beam or as opposed to fog lights?

It's often recommended to only run on sidelights and foglights, to avoid being dazzled by your own main headlights reflecting back at you off the fog.

[Countdown]

I voted no but I suppose it depends on how thick the fog is.

[LuS1fer]

With front fog-lights - yes - that is the point of fog-lights but without - no.

[ajprice]

No, personally I light mine up as much as I can, front and rear fogs, and dipped beam. A few cars on the way to work here this morning had no lights!!

[kambites]

ajprice said:

No, personally I light mine up as much as I can, front and rear fogs, and dipped beam. A few cars on the way to work here this morning had no lights!!

I can't think of a situation in which I'd use front fog-lights and dipped beam headlights. In my experience the dipped beams cancel out any benefits that the fog lights provide - if the fog is dense enough for front fog lights to help, the dipped beams are dazzling.

[tr7v8]

LuS1fer said:

With front fog-lights - yes - that is the point of fog-lights but without - no.

Yup this is the correct use of Fog lights, now pretty much lost on 99.99999999% of the population who believe more is better!

[Big Rod]

I gauge it on what I can see.

I tend not to use dipped beam in fog because of the refracted light, but my current daily doesn't have working fogs on it so if I have difficulty seeing cars on just sidelights I'll switch to dips.

Same with the rears, if I can see the car in front of me without their fogs on and there's a car a similar distance behind me I'll leave them off, but if the distance between me and the car increases to the point I have difficulty seeing their sidelights I'll switch the rear fog on. I also switch them off in queueing traffic.

[BoostMonkey]

LuS1fer said:

With front fog-lights - yes - that is the point of fog-lights but without - no.

Agree with you, however as others have commented the amount of people on the roads yesterday and today with no lights at all in fog in 1/3. Very dangerous to themselves and others.

[Chrisw666]

Of course it's acceptable, but then again I'm a tard.

[Countdown]

ajprice said:

A few cars on the way to work here this morning had no lights!!

I wonder how much of this is down to the dashboard "auto-illuminating" IYSWIM.

Years ago you had to turn on your external lights to turn on your dashboard lights. Nowadays you don't and with the level of streetlighting being what it is, people don't realise they haven't put their lights on.

[blondini]

lordlee said:

Thick fog on my way into work this morning and quite a few drivers were using their sidelights. Do you think this is acceptable?

Just sidelights in thick fog? Crazy fools!

[TomTheTyke]

It's amazing how many people, young lads mostly, seem to think that the reason cars are made with the option of just having sidelights and fogs on is because it looks really cool.

[surveyor]

BoostMonkey said:

LuS1fer said:

With front fog-lights - yes - that is the point of fog-lights but without - no.

Agree with you, however as others have commented the amount of people on the roads yesterday and today with no lights at all in fog in 1/3. Very dangerous to themselves and others.

Disagree. If it's night, and the glare from the headlights is dangerous then maybe, otherwise get headlight and fogs on. Number of people driving around yesterday afternoon with no lights at all was remarkable.

[danyeates]

Fog was really thick last night over Farnham way. Girlfriend was driving and she doesn't have front fog lights. She's not really driven in fog much before but she coped fine. I just told her to leave off the full beam, use dipped and watch the cats eyes. Or wait until someone passes on a dual carriageway and follow them at a safe distance! The roads were really quiet, it was approx 21:00, but there was the odd car on the road. Surprising how strange it can feel, driving with no cars on the road, no street lights and thick fog.

[blueg33]

On my car, you cannot turn on the foglights unless the headlights are turned on. You cannot turn on just the sidelights.

car is a 2007 Audi, but the Outback is similar too.

[Classic Grad 98]

Yes, if Foglights are on.
Unclear poll.

[lordlee]

blondini said:

Just sidelights in thick fog? Crazy fools!

I could barely see them until they passed right by me. There were also around 5 cars with no lights on at all?!! If not for their own safety how about thinking of the other drivers/pedestrians on the road??

[lordlee]

Classic Grad 98 said:

Yes, if Foglights are on.
Unclear poll.

I would have put sidelights and fogs if that is what I wanted to ask - I didnt and it wasnt.

[thecremeegg]

Depends on how far you can see and on what road. I was driving through fog yesterday on just sidelights but it was on a motorway and I could see a good 50-100m. Any thicker and it would have been dipped beams.