Fog lights and the solution
Discussion
Was toodling along on the A43 in semi foggy conditions this morning when I got overtaken by another car. As he passed me, the fog got a bit more apparent in the distance, but still not dense enough that would warrant any kind of blinding lights.
The driver thought however different and switched on his rear fogs probably fearing he was all of a sudden no longer visible to anyone else on the road. And yet he carried on at the same speed as before... and then it struck me.
What we should have are speed-limiters on each and every single car which become instantly active as soon as you switch on your fog lights! That would take care of the 'always on' brigade and at the same time it will increase road safety in real fog conditions...
/Off to the patent office now
The driver thought however different and switched on his rear fogs probably fearing he was all of a sudden no longer visible to anyone else on the road. And yet he carried on at the same speed as before... and then it struck me.
What we should have are speed-limiters on each and every single car which become instantly active as soon as you switch on your fog lights! That would take care of the 'always on' brigade and at the same time it will increase road safety in real fog conditions...
/Off to the patent office now
While we are at it, can we combine the front and rear fog light switches into one. That way, all of the utter twunts who drive around with their front fogs on "Becoz itz Kool, innit" will cause equal irritation to following drivers, who might then convey their displeasure with high beams. Maybe then the idiots might learn that their behaviour is not acceptable?
yellowjack said:
While we are at it, can we combine the front and rear fog light switches into one. That way, all of the utter twunts who drive around with their front fogs on "Becoz itz Kool, innit" will cause equal irritation to following drivers, who might then convey their displeasure with high beams. Maybe then the idiots might learn that their behaviour is not acceptable?
What about the entirely sensible use of front fogs only when you are the lead car of two in thick fog?Or the entirely sensible use of rear fogs only when you are the following car of two in thick fog?
Surely the simple answer if to murder anyone who fails to do the very simple calculation in ther head of whether they are being a dick or not?
Edited by Captain Muppet on Friday 8th March 09:45
Yes, speed limiter when fog lights are on, because you shouldn't be driving quickly
<Govt thinking>
And then speed limiter at 70mph because you shouldn't be going that fast.
And then speed limiter at 60mph, because that's fast enough for most roads...and then at 50mph to "reduce accidents / fatalities" etc etc
</Govt thinking>
No thanks, let's just have some f
king personal responsibility for once in your fking life!!!
<Govt thinking>
And then speed limiter at 70mph because you shouldn't be going that fast.
And then speed limiter at 60mph, because that's fast enough for most roads...and then at 50mph to "reduce accidents / fatalities" etc etc
</Govt thinking>
No thanks, let's just have some f
king personal responsibility for once in your fking life!!!bobmcgod said:
Can we not just kill them all? 
You know what really winds me up. The oh no I have a head light out so I'll put my fog lights on special group.
I have some sympathy as these days you have to book the car in to get the bulb replaced as it's impossible to do it yourself. Even if you could, you'n need a manual or You Tube to show you how to do it.You know what really winds me up. The oh no I have a head light out so I'll put my fog lights on special group.
What winds me up more is that, in days of yore, many people could and would invest time in learning a bit of car DIY - nowadays most people expect their cars to be indestructible, failsafe items requiring no checking or maintenance at all.
How will speed limiters help with all the accidents that are caused by people driving at 40mph 2 feet from each other in the fog?
From my experience the problem in fog is not so much the people going fast but those who go slow and cause other people frustration, so ideots get to close. I think I can only remember 2 occasions where the fog was so thick that going slower than the speed limit was needed, the rest of the time it just needs double stopping distance.
From my experience the problem in fog is not so much the people going fast but those who go slow and cause other people frustration, so ideots get to close. I think I can only remember 2 occasions where the fog was so thick that going slower than the speed limit was needed, the rest of the time it just needs double stopping distance.
I agree with the OP's sentiments. I've had similar situations where I have been poodling along behind someone on a B-road with no opportunity for overtaking. Hit a bit of fog and on go the fog lights. It's like WTF dude, I've been behind you for the last 4 miles and know that you are there, is it really necessary to blind me due to a bit of reduced visibility!?
My Merc has the active headlight system so the headlights turn with the steering, which is good for "almost" seeing round corners. Switching the rear foglight on de-activates this which means visibility is not so good and slows you down. This means I almost never put my rear fogs on.
The downside of the OP's suggestion is the probability that you will get stuck behind slower cars with their rear fogs on.
The downside of the OP's suggestion is the probability that you will get stuck behind slower cars with their rear fogs on.
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