Rear fog lights

[Humpy D]

No, this isn't a rant about people who use them when they shouldn't and vice versa but why they are red.

As fog lights are only marginally brighter than brake lights (when applied) I can see some people not realising the person in front is braking until it is too late. Just witness some of the horrific multiple pile ups we've seen in the fog in recent years.

Would it make more sense if fog lights were a different colour to differentiate them from brake lights? Yellow perhaps?

[Matthen]

Fortunately a long red bar illuminates when on the brakes, also there are 2 sets of bright lights. In addition, a good number of cars only have one fog light.

i don't see it as an issue tbh

[motco]

The question should be 'why are brake lights red?'. Amber indicators signify a change of state in the car's movement and brake lights do the same so they should also be amber. Then red would mean a state of being there, and amber an intended change in motion - either direction or pace. When indicators are used during braking the relevant brake light could flash off and on leaving its counterpart on steadily. Personally, over a million miles of UK driving, I cannot recall being in a position, even in dense fog, where rear fog lights added anything to the safety of the road users, but may have even detracted from it by dazzling the following driver. In such conditions (sub-100 metre visibility) even the smallest light had a halo around it making seeing past it difficult.

[Graebob]

Matthen said:

Fortunately a long red bar illuminates when on the brakes, also there are 2 sets of bright lights. In addition, a good number of cars only have one fog light.

i don't see it as an issue tbh

This.

[littleredrooster]

Humpy D said:

As fog lights are only marginally brighter than brake lights ...

Both being 21 watt bulbs, they'll be exactly the same.

I don't accept that fog lights obliterate brake lights.

I would query, however, why the most vulnerable road-users (motorcyclists) don't have even the option of rear fog-lights.

[alangla]

motco said:

When indicators are used during braking the relevant brake light could flash off and on leaving its counterpart on steadily.

I've seen vehicles in the US where the only rear lights were a single twin filament red bulb at each side plus a reversing light. Said vehicle had either filament or lamp failure on one side, meaning you had no idea what it was about to do! The other issue would be that a flasher unit failure would mean the red light would illuminate constantly rather than the current (less-bad) situation of an amber light being constantly lit. Overall, I don't think it could be a winner, sadly & I notice increasing numbers of North American vehicles seem to have European style lights these days.

[TooMany2cvs]

Humpy D said:

As fog lights are only marginally brighter than brake lights (when applied) I can see some people not realising the person in front is braking until it is too late.

If people used fog lights properly, turning them off once there's somebody close enough behind to be able to see their normal tail lights or the outline of the vehicle, then it wouldn't be an issue.

If people drove to the conditions properly, driving so they can stop in the distance they can see to be clear, then it wouldn't be an issue.

[quote]Just witness some of the horrific multiple pile ups we've seen in the fog in recent years.

Exactly.

[LuS1fer]

Modern cars have the hazards come on under hard braking. I found out it does it on my 07 Fiesta ST too where I thought it was more recent.

[lufbramatt]

I think foglights should be on a kind of "dead man's switch" where every 10 minutes you have the rear fogs switched on a buzzer goes off, if this is not cancelled the lights switch off, like the button that train drivers have to press every 30 seconds or whatever it is otherwise the train stops itself.

[V8LM]

Fog and brake lights are red because red light scatters the least.

[Humpy D]

There's no doubt that regardless of whether fog lights are used or not, the possibility of there being an accident in fog or not is all down to the person behind the wheel.

It just seems to me that some drivers get fixated with the lights of the car in front and if the rear fogs are on then these are the ones they are drawn too. And then if the person in front brakes then it takes them a little longer than it should to realise "there are more bright lights, they must be braking"!!

[Graebob]

In that case OP, the issue is one of training/retesting people to use the roads properly, rather than fitting a brighter/dimmer light to the car.

[Humpy D]

I've always believed that the current system of testing someone when they 17 and then not testing them again until they are 80(?) is ridiculous nowadays. I think people should be retested every 10 years - a logistical nightmare I agree but could be a nice little earner and may get some of the noobs off the road!!

[saaby93]

LuS1fer said:

Modern cars have the hazards come on under hard braking. I found out it does it on my 07 Fiesta ST too where I thought it was more recent.

not just under hard braking
Had it happen in a loan car the other day. Quick movement of foot from loud to stop pedals and the dash lit up as the hazards etc came on.
Very distracting. Could have caused a collision

[300bhp/ton]

Graebob said:

Matthen said:

Fortunately a long red bar illuminates when on the brakes, also there are 2 sets of bright lights. In addition, a good number of cars only have one fog light.

i don't see it as an issue tbh

This.

This what? What is this long red bar???

[Laser Sag]

Judging by the t****r in the Merc this morning in the fog, drivers sitting 5 foot from your a**e end in the fog when there is nowhere to go are much more likely to cause the pile ups than the colour of fog lights.

[TooMany2cvs]

300bhp/ton said:

This what? What is this long red bar???

At a wild guess, he may be referring to central high level brake lights...

[motco]

alangla said:

motco said:

When indicators are used during braking the relevant brake light could flash off and on leaving its counterpart on steadily.

I've seen vehicles in the US where the only rear lights were a single twin filament red bulb at each side plus a reversing light. Said vehicle had either filament or lamp failure on one side, meaning you had no idea what it was about to do! The other issue would be that a flasher unit failure would mean the red light would illuminate constantly rather than the current (less-bad) situation of an amber light being constantly lit. Overall, I don't think it could be a winner, sadly & I notice increasing numbers of North American vehicles seem to have European style lights these days.

The have a separate amber light, but the point is the colour shows the function.

[300bhp/ton]

TooMany2cvs said:

300bhp/ton said:

This what? What is this long red bar???

At a wild guess, he may be referring to central high level brake lights...

I guessed that too, pretty dumb comment though considering not all cars have a 3rd high level brake light.

[KTF]

What colour do you think they should be?

Yellow = The indicator got there first.
White = Not allowed
Blue = Not allowed

The rear lights of a car is designed to show where the rear of the vehicle in front is.

The fog stops the light from travelling as far so the fog lamps are a high intensity version of the existing tail lights so it penetrates the fog better.

You only need to have one on the offside of the vehicle as that shows where the edge of it is - the nearside assumed to be next to the curb.