10 July 2005

Fog light anarchy

| Ralph
Join the conversation
11

Following recent posts about recumbent cyclists and negligent apostrophe user’s, I would like to join the rabble with a rant about fog lights. ACT drivers are serial offenders when it comes to fog light use.

Firstly, fog lights are for use in fog or conditions where visibility is poor. They are not daytime driving lights, and they are not intended to complement your headlights in clear conditions at night. Driving around in the day with fog lights on merely advertises the fact that you are a tool.

If it’s raining, turn your headlights on. Don’t turn your fog lights on as well. Your headlights are more than sufficient. Using fog lights in the rain dazzles other drivers as the fog lights usually get reflected off the wet road.

Learn the road rules regarding the appropriate use of lights. Have a look hereand here.

Unfortunately, the chances of you being nicked in the ACT for inappropriate use of fog lights are probably on par with the odds of winning Powerball (it’s a different story over the border in NSW). For this reason, I think that most fog light w@nkers think it’s OK to use them whenever they please.

Finally, please be courteous and turn your fog lights off. Using them inappropriately is just plain ignorant. You can use other methods to make your car look ‘bling’, such as big polished alloys, altezza-style tail lights and baked bean can exhaust tips.

Join the conversation

11
All Comments
  • All Comments
  • Website Comments
LatestOldest

yep.. or the people with damaged headlights. wankers. don’t drive. your car isn’t road worthy.

Yeah, yeah! I only noticed that one after the “diabled” correction, all right?!

I promise to proofread future comments / posts before submitting!

Smackbang, what about ‘boguth’? 😛

Your rear foglight may also come on when reversing? Or perhaps it is the sun shining from your bum!

Disabled – not diabled.

I am in total agreement on the fog light issue. It’s a problem that is only increasing. Can’t people understand – “fog” lights should be used in fog. Why do people think having two extra lights on makes their car look cool?

Bulldog is right – the rear foglights are even worse. I drove on the Hume Highway one night behind a Hyundai that had an extremely bright rear fog light on. I chose to break the speed limit and overtake it, because I think that continuing to drive behind it would have been more dangerous. Fortunately I didn’t get booked – but I wonder how that excuse would have gone down…? (Of course, I could always have pulled over and let it get ahead of me…)

My car has rear fog lights, apparently. I was told when I boguth it that I shouldn’t use them, because it is illegal. My question is, why aren’t they diabled then?

Sounds like an episode of grumpy old canberrans…

Not just the headlights, but how many players have ever followed a Hyundai or an Audi with the rear fog light blazing? That is really f*ucking irritating to those of us who enjoy seeing where we are going.

I for one would like to see the good people of Canberra take matters into their own hands. Every car should be fitted with a small ‘break glass’ type hammer. If anyone witnesses fog lights in use at innapropriate times they can feel free to smash away until the offending lights (and drivers) are fubar.

I think the fine is $78. If a few got issued here and there people would soon get the message. Most people just don’t know how to use them, or when they should be used. Because they are fitted to the car people think they’re to be used whenever it suits.

This gets me onto another gripe – that people around here generally don’t flash their lights to warn of the speed camera vans (I do, and also broadcast over the UHF for the benefit of the truckies) or wave when you let them merge in front of you.

This shows the extremely selective approach that ACT policing takes to traffic enforcement. Speed cameras send a powerful message to everyone that speeding is evil; the fact that virtually no other enforcement takes place sends a clear message that all other ingringements are OK.

The use of driving/fog lights at inappropriate times is, in my view, at least if not more dangerous as going 5-10kms over the limit, yet this illegal activity is never enforced. It’s made worse by the fact that often the lights are fitted to 4WDs and aim straight into other drivers’ eyes. As with many headlights, they are often badly aligned, again creating dangerous glare.

It’s good to see this raised, but until “fog light cameras” are installed, don’t expect any action real soon. Likewise, we need “no-indicator cameras”, “bad lane swapping cameras”, “slow drivers holding up traffic cameras”, etc. Only then will genuine road safety messages be transmitted.

In the meantime, just remember – “speeding is evil, everything else is OK” in Canberra.

nice one!

Daily Digest

Want the best Canberra news delivered daily? Every day we package the most popular Riotact stories and send them straight to your inbox. Sign-up now for trusted local news that will never be behind a paywall.

By submitting your email address you are agreeing to Region Group's terms and conditions and privacy policy.