Put Your flippin' Lights On! Is it time daytime running lights are introduced in UK?

Currently reading:
Put Your flippin' Lights On! Is it time daytime running lights are introduced in UK?

Should this be introduced?


  • Total voters
    108
Going back to my argument on page 1 (i THINK) i totally agree with your comment on the side lights on a stretch of road, i think as i have said before that it should be a global standard to have your sidelight on all the time from when the key enters the slot...
Its nice to know that just becouse i live in Norway that there are people in other countrys that think they are a good idea...
Think i love you now :eek::):D:D:D

Ditto. But I dissagree with sidelights just to make matters worse:D. It needs to be dipped headlights or LED DRL's. They emit the light better. No they shouldn't dazzel, but sidelights are to dim during the day. The only time they're noticeable is when its dark.
 
Ditto. But I dissagree with sidelights just to make matters worse:D. It needs to be dipped headlights or LED DRL's. They emit the light better. No they shouldn't dazzel, but sidelights are to dim during the day. The only time they're noticeable is when its dark.


Now thats also a fair point, sidelights, led,s or 1000.000 candle power search light attached to the front....whatever way you look ot it lights are good ALL the time...
 
mk2 punto has them in the headlight

Fog lights or driving lights? Many people (including the car manufacturers!) seem to get the two confused these days.

Front fog lights work by being low to the ground, with a wide beam and focused at a short distance in front of the car. They should have a seperate switch and a warning light on the dashboard. They are designed to illuminate a short distance of road from a low level in front of the car because fog tends to be more dense around a foot off the ground. Fog lights shine under the fog, something headlight level lights can't do.

Driving lights however illuminate the road ahead much the same as main beam. They have to be wired up to come on with the main beam to be defined as 'driving lights'.

Like the second quote below I too remember front fog lights only being allowed to be fitted below 0.5m from the ground (below bumper level). I swear this was in the UK Highway Code of 1986! Therefore how can 'fog lights' be fitted in the headlights as they will be too high (as well as ineffective)? However, I can't find any current requirements for the physical height of front fog lights in current UK legislation, which further adds to the confusion.

QUOTE 1:

Use of the front fog lamps when visibility is not seriously reduced is often prohibited (for example in the United Kingdom), as they can cause increased glare to other drivers, particularly in wet pavement conditions, as well as harming the driver's own vision due to excessive foreground illumination.[14]

The respective purposes of front fog lamps and driving lamps are often confused, due in part to the misconcepion that fog lamps are necessarily selective yellow, while any auxiliary lamp that makes white light is a driving lamp. Automakers and aftermarket parts and accessories suppliers frequently refer interchangeably to "fog lamps" and "driving lamps" (or "fog/driving lamps"). In most countries, weather conditions rarely necessitate the use of fog lamps, and there is no legal requirement for them, so their primary purpose is frequently cosmetic.


QUOTE 2:

"The restrictions on the use of front fog lamps are set out in the table within regulation 27 of The Road Vehicles Lighting Regulations 1989, SI (1989) 1796- http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si1989/Uksi_19891796_en_1.htm. Item No 2 of the table says the front fog lamps must not "be lit at any time other than in conditions of seriously reduced visibility". In fact, there's a similar prohibition on the use of rear fog lamps at Item No 3 of the table - http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si1989/Uksi_19891796_en_2.htm#(Ti)3interpretation.

The interesting point is, what is a "front fog lamp" for this purpose? I have a vague recollection of it once having been defined as a white or yellow lamp at the front of the vehicle at a height of not more than 0.5m. Perhaps I was dreaming - I will investigate when I get time.

The current definition is in the table at regulation 3, where it is defined as "A lamp used to improve the illumination of the road in front of a motor vehicle in conditions of seriously reduced visibility". Now, this is indeed a curious definition. Suppose you buy a new car and insist that it come with the manufacturer's optional front fog lamps. The saleswoman delivers the car, and explains where the front fog lamp is, and where the switch is. All is confirmed in the owner's manual. Suppose you then use the lamps in good visibility, because you think they look 'cool'. Then are they still fog lamps? Perhaps not, as they are not being "used to improve the illumination of the road in front of a motor vehicle in conditions of seriously reduced visibility" (because, obviously, visibility is not seriously reduced).

Or is it more subtle? Perhaps it is a fog lamp, because the manufacturer, saleswoman, owner's manual and your wallet say so; that is their stated purpose in the manufacture's advertising literature; and that is how the lamps are normally used; so that's what they are for the purpose of r3. If that is the case, then if they happen to be used in another situation (eg that suggested above) they don't stop being fog lamps just because you switch then on, and become fog lamps again just because you switch them off - they remain fog lamps, and their use as above is an offence under r27.

So, do front fog lamps cease to be front fog lamps when used as for some other purpose? My guess is not, and that their use other than in conditions of seriously reduced visibility is illegal. Now, how does the driver's manual describe those low slung lamps on the front of my car? Fog lamps? Driving lamps?
http://www.atft.co.uk/r-law.html#L-UFFL"


And some Police forces are cracking down on incorrect use of front fog lights (quite rightly so).

http://www.cwn.org.uk/999/west-midlands-police/2001/01/010118-fog-lights.htm
 
Fog lights or driving lights? Many people (including the car manufacturers!) seem to get the two confused these days.

Front fog lights work by being low to the ground, with a wide beam and focused at a short distance in front of the car. They should have a seperate switch and a warning light on the dashboard. They are designed to illuminate a short distance of road from a low level in front of the car because fog tends to be more dense around a foot off the ground. Fog lights shine under the fog, something headlight level lights can't do.

Driving lights however illuminate the road ahead much the same as main beam. They have to be wired up to come on with the main beam to be defined as 'driving lights'.

Like the second quote below I too remember front fog lights only being allowed to be fitted below 0.5m from the ground (below bumper level). I swear this was in the UK Highway Code of 1986! Therefore how can 'fog lights' be fitted in the headlights as they will be too high (as well as ineffective)? However, I can't find any current requirements for the physical height of front fog lights in current UK legislation, which further adds to the confusion.

QUOTE 1:

Use of the front fog lamps when visibility is not seriously reduced is often prohibited (for example in the United Kingdom), as they can cause increased glare to other drivers, particularly in wet pavement conditions, as well as harming the driver's own vision due to excessive foreground illumination.[14]

The respective purposes of front fog lamps and driving lamps are often confused, due in part to the misconcepion that fog lamps are necessarily selective yellow, while any auxiliary lamp that makes white light is a driving lamp. Automakers and aftermarket parts and accessories suppliers frequently refer interchangeably to "fog lamps" and "driving lamps" (or "fog/driving lamps"). In most countries, weather conditions rarely necessitate the use of fog lamps, and there is no legal requirement for them, so their primary purpose is frequently cosmetic.

QUOTE 2:

"The restrictions on the use of front fog lamps are set out in the table within regulation 27 of The Road Vehicles Lighting Regulations 1989, SI (1989) 1796- http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si1989/Uksi_19891796_en_1.htm. Item No 2 of the table says the front fog lamps must not "be lit at any time other than in conditions of seriously reduced visibility". In fact, there's a similar prohibition on the use of rear fog lamps at Item No 3 of the table - http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si1989/Uksi_19891796_en_2.htm#(Ti)3interpretation.

The interesting point is, what is a "front fog lamp" for this purpose? I have a vague recollection of it once having been defined as a white or yellow lamp at the front of the vehicle at a height of not more than 0.5m. Perhaps I was dreaming - I will investigate when I get time.

<I>The current definition is in the table at regulation 3, where it is defined as "A lamp used to improve the illumination of the road in front of a motor vehicle in conditions of seriously reduced visibility". Now, this is indeed a curious definition. Suppose you buy a new car and insist that it come with the manufacturer's optional front fog lamps. The saleswoman delivers the car, and explains where the front fog lamp is, and where the switch is. All is confirmed in the owner's manual. Suppose you then use the lamps in good visibility, because you think they look 'cool'. Then are they still fog lamps? Perhaps not, as they are not being "used to improve the illumination of the road in front of a motor vehicle in conditions of seriously reduced visibility" (because, obviously, visibility is not seriously reduced).

Or is it more subtle? Perhaps it is a fog lamp, because the manufacturer, saleswoman, owner's manual and your wallet say so; that is their stated purpose in the manufacture's advertising literature; and that is how the lamps are normally used; so that's what they are for the purpose of r3. If that is the case, then if they happen to be used in another situation (eg that suggested above) they don't stop being fog lamps just because you switch then on, and become fog lamps again just because you switch them off - they remain fog lamps, and their use as above is an offence under r27.


So, do front fog lamps cease to be front fog lamps when used as for some other purpose? My guess is not, and that their use other than in conditions of seriously reduced visibility is illegal. Now, how does the driver's manual describe those low slung lamps on the front of my car? Fog lamps? Driving lamps?
 
how does the driver's manual describe those low slung lamps on the front of my car? Fog lamps? Driving lamps?

The spotlights mounted in your radiator grille are driving or spotlights.
As far as I've always been aware, fogs (as I mentioned at post 169 (ish)) should be mounted as low as possible, generally under the bumper (and generally these days incorporated into the lower bumper/skirt)
 
hmm....never quite got that method of retaliation...they have main beams too...so then you just end up with a combined retina assault of mainbeam, fogs and dips...
 
Big brother won't be reducing speeds of your car automatically for a long long time. Speed cameras bring in way too much revenue for that to happen. More cameras are going up all the time.
About 10 years ago, a German EU Commissioner called Martin Bangemann tried to have the maximum power output of motorcycles reduced to 100 bhp. Don't underestimate how close he was to pulling it off. If too many choices are taken away from us then others will follow. Sat Nav and GPS will mean that you may have to put in your departure point and destination and told which way to go. Go by a different route & you will be fined. Who needs the income from speed cameras now? If a EU version of the late '70s U.S. CAFE (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) plan comes about, which has been mooted
in EU circles of late, then you can expect to see engine sizes reduced, power limited to a lower specific power output and speed limiters being introduced. Put that together with the already available technology to slow a car down by remote control and the writing could well be on the wall. A sobering thought is that Germany is the only country in the European Union that has it written into law that only the driver can have control of a vehicle which brings us back to the delightful Herr Bangemann.

I've been thinking about this the last few days when on a particularly nasty long straight which is one of very few places to overtake on a very busy road. It's nigh on impossible to see a car at the other end of the mile-long straight, even in bright sunlight, unless it has sidelights on. Then it stands out like a sore thumb and it's great because you know for sure whether it's safe or nto to overtake. How many of you would put your sidelights on on that stretch of road? If you answered no, I'd probably kill you head-on :)
The effect of lights on a car in daylight is far more noticable if they are off and then switched on when a risk is detected rather than being on all the time. If you see headlights on an oncoming vehicle it only helps you see it; it doesn't help you work out speed and distance any more easily. Headlights that suddenly appear are far more likely to make an oncoming driver think and reasess the safety of the overtake.
 
The effect of lights on a car in daylight is far more noticable if they are off and then switched on when a risk is detected rather than being on all the time. If you see headlights on an oncoming vehicle it only helps you see it; it doesn't help you work out speed and distance any more easily. Headlights that suddenly appear are far more likely to make an oncoming driver think and reasess the safety of the overtake.

So halfway through overtaking a line of cars, person oncoming suddenly appears and flashes so person overtaking, who can't get in between any of the line of cars because they're travelling too closely together, has to brake sharply and swerve back in behind the six or so cars they've just tried to overtake? When this could have been prevented by someone just having sidelights/ DRLs on in the first place? I've seen that trick happen often and it nearly causes more crashes because by the time the oncoming driver gets close enough and flashes in anger, the overtaking driver is panicking and trying to take action :rolleyes: IME having DRLs on doesn't help much, but on this stretch of road, it does help some! I'd stop and take some pics but it's too blood dangerous :(
 
Last edited:
hmm....never quite got that method of retaliation...they have main beams too...so then you just end up with a combined retina assault of mainbeam, fogs and dips...

True, but I work on the basis of the fact that most don't even know their fog lamps are on, let alone where the switch to turn them off is, so they're rarly find the switch for the main beam to flash me back in time:D

The effect of lights on a car in daylight is far more noticable if they are off and then switched on when a risk is detected rather than being on all the time. If you see headlights on an oncoming vehicle it only helps you see it; it doesn't help you work out speed and distance any more easily. Headlights that suddenly appear are far more likely to make an oncoming driver think and reasess the safety of the overtake.

Hense the lights in my Grille. Only come on when I flash someone with the main beam whether the headlights are on or off.:)
 
Wish I could vote no twice on this poll! Voted no when this came up originally and an experience today reinforced to me the pointlessness of DRLs...was on my way to work in heavy rain, as ever had my headlamps on as steel grey fiats disappear against grey skies, or snow storms or anything thats not brilliant sunshine, nearly got to work in the metrocentre, and it being a saturday there are two rows of stationary traffic and one moving into the overflow car park, im in the moving lane following a silver Jag X type which has not got its lights on, an astra in the left lane moves to pull right, lets the jag go then pulls straight into my lane, only thing that stopped an accident was him stopping the second I blasted the horn (he had little choice it was only about 3 feet away from his right ear at the time) and the fact I have 8mm of tread on the front tyres so can stop without locking up in a monsoon. And the point? it doesn't matter if you have flashing strobes on all surfaces if people can't drive they'll hit you,, Maybe i'll drive everywhere with my fogs and mainbeams on from now on...I may annoy the hell out of people but hey at least if they are swearing at me they know im there!
 
Wish I could vote no twice on this poll! Voted no when this came up originally and an experience today reinforced to me the pointlessness of DRLs...was on my way to work in heavy rain, as ever had my headlamps on as steel grey fiats disappear against grey skies, or snow storms or anything thats not brilliant sunshine, nearly got to work in the metrocentre, and it being a saturday there are two rows of stationary traffic and one moving into the overflow car park, im in the moving lane following a silver Jag X type which has not got its lights on, an astra in the left lane moves to pull right, lets the jag go then pulls straight into my lane, only thing that stopped an accident was him stopping the second I blasted the horn (he had little choice it was only about 3 feet away from his right ear at the time) and the fact I have 8mm of tread on the front tyres so can stop without locking up in a monsoon. And the point? it doesn't matter if you have flashing strobes on all surfaces if people can't drive they'll hit you,, Maybe i'll drive everywhere with my fogs and mainbeams on from now on...I may annoy the hell out of people but hey at least if they are swearing at me they know im there!

+1

Lights on when needed, not for the sake of it.... and to the comment about overtaking. If you cant see if an overtake is possible without the car having front-lights, there something up with your vision, if the road is perfectly straight and clear.
 
Last edited:
you can expect to see engine sizes reduced, power limited to a lower specific power output and speed limiters being introduced. Put that together with the already available technology to slow a car down by remote control and the writing could well be on the wall. A sobering thought is that Germany is the only country in the European Union that has it written into law that only the driver can have control of a vehicle which brings us back to the delightful Herr Bangemann..


They've been talking about this in Euro parliament recently & it seems all this will be passed.
It won't affect the Germans with their 'drive as fast as you like' roads because the restrictions will only be applied to cars in the UK.(n)
 
Oooh, hang on, the mist is clearing...
clearing....
clearing....

Ahh, that's better, I'm back in 2008 again.
:devil:


But you can bet your next paycheque that the Johnny foreigner will decide that cars & lorries are the main cause of global warming & are the biggest drain on fuel supplies so drastic action will need to be taken - so the law will be passed.

But like every other Euro law, Britain will be forced to follow the law to the letter - no matter what the cost to the individual and, like every other daft Euro law, only the Europeans will ignore it completely & will never be made to comply.
And, as usual, Brits will still have to send £billions to Europe as our contribution to whatever daft idea they come up with, whilst they send thousands of disposessed over here to put a little more stress on our ever dwindling services.
 
Last edited:
Back
Top