FabSwingers.com > Forums > The Lounge > Driving in anticyclonic gloom.
Driving in anticyclonic gloom.
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With Britain shrouded in various shades of mist and fog, I am amazed at the number of vehicles using fast major roads either without any lights showing at all or faulty lights.
We are now used to 'See and be seen' initiatives so why is the message failing
so often?
What is also unbelievable is that manufacturers who thoughtfuly provide always on lighting to the front of vehicles don't seem to think that the rears also need ighting a great deal of the time.
Away from the motorways and dual carriageways, drivers also have the all in black unlit, with not even any reflectors, death wish cyclists to contend with.
In some ways it was safer before the widespread use of daylight luminaires because drivers weren't mainly expecting vehicles to be lit but now the brain is more set up to mentally clocking the presence of vehicles because they are lit (at least at their fronts).
I'd estimate that about one in ten of vehicles I've seen on these grey days is unlit and, sod's law, usually the same
colour as the road unless there is some glass or chrome trim to attract notice.
(No need to quote my entire TLDR post,just your own particular views on the subject) |
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One of my road rants is about the use of fog lights. People seem to only put these on if it's dark and foggy when, for the most part, they're not required. If it's dark, your normal running lights tend to show pretty well unless it's really foggy. By all means use your front fogs in these conditions, it's what they're designed for to improve your forward vision, but your rear fogs are only so others can see you. If you can already see the tail lights of the vehicles in front there is really no need for rear fog lamps. However, in daylight when it's foggy (or there's heavy surface spray) and you can't see the vehicle in front, it's a good bet no one can see you. Yes, it may well be daytime but that doesn't mean you can't turn them on.
It is so simple, if you can see other vehicles normal rear running lights, fog lights are not needed. If you can barely make out the vehicles in front of you, they really are. How light it dark it is it's totally irrelevant.
P |
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Thanks for replies so far.am in complete agreement.
It's looking a bit like I am more concerned about unlit vehicles than most drivers, but just to illustrate the point, I was out on the M25 this morning in the continuing gloomy conditions. Today I was the passenger but I saw huge numbers of cars with no lights at all showing to the rear.
A significant proportion happened to be a similar colour to the road surface. I often wonder how many, if any, people take conspicuity into account when buying a car?
There were also even higher numbers of cars showing front lghts only. I have to wonder if most drivers even know that their vehicle might be unlit to the rear during poor daylight conditions or, quite often,in darkness.
In my opinion this state of affairs does not say much for whoever designs modern cars.
In the old days it was obvious if your lights weren't on, because the instruments would be unlit. This gave a strong clue to all except absolute dumbos. |
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"Buy a car that actually has daytime running lights on the front and back. Mine does
Or learn where the switch is to turn them on!  "
Exactly this,Just who are the brain dead designers and manufacturers that dreamt up the (not so bright!) idea of lights at the front of a car when the driver can see where their going yet "lets not bother having any sort of automatic system that turns the rear lights on" when needed.
What was wrong with the good out side lights came on together with ignition and when driver cant see the road ahead they turn on headlights,and they have alredy got rear lights on  |
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What amazes me are the idiots that drive with only the daylight running lights on because their dash is lit up they think the lights are on even though it should be plainly obvious they are not, then the absolute morons that drive with their fog lights on at night when it’s not foggy- so stupid.
Also using fogs when not required- they only come on if visibility is less than 100m- bloody foggy basically, not the slightest bit of mist! |
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"Buy a car that actually has daytime running lights on the front and back. Mine does
Or learn where the switch is to turn them on!
Exactly this,Just who are the brain dead designers and manufacturers that dreamt up the (not so bright!) idea of lights at the front of a car when the driver can see where their going yet "lets not bother having any sort of automatic system that turns the rear lights on" when needed.
What was wrong with the good out side lights came on together with ignition and when driver cant see the road ahead they turn on headlights,and they have alredy got rear lights on "
They do this because it’s not a legal requirement to have the rears on as well, on most cars you can configure the rears to come on as well as the fronts |
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"
Exactly this,Just who are the brain dead designers and manufacturers that dreamt up the (not so bright!) idea of lights at the front of a car when the driver can see where their going yet "lets not bother having any sort of automatic system that turns the rear lights on" when needed.
What was wrong with the good out side lights came on together with ignition and when driver can't see the road ahead they turn on headlights,and they have alredy got rear lights on
They do this because it’s not a legal requirement to have the rears on as well, on most cars you can configure the rears to come on as well as the fronts "
..but how many drivers will even know about that configuration? |
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By (user no longer on site) 8 weeks ago
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"
Exactly this,Just who are the brain dead designers and manufacturers that dreamt up the (not so bright!) idea of lights at the front of a car when the driver can see where their going yet "lets not bother having any sort of automatic system that turns the rear lights on" when needed.
What was wrong with the good out side lights came on together with ignition and when driver can't see the road ahead they turn on headlights,and they have alredy got rear lights on
They do this because it’s not a legal requirement to have the rears on as well, on most cars you can configure the rears to come on as well as the fronts
..but how many drivers will even know about that configuration?"
If they don't know the car or how the functions work on it, they shouldn't be driving it, in my opinion. |
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"One of my road rants is about the use of fog lights. People seem to only put these on if it's dark and foggy when, for the most part, they're not required. If it's dark, your normal running lights tend to show pretty well unless it's really foggy. By all means use your front fogs in these conditions, it's what they're designed for to improve your forward vision, but your rear fogs are only so others can see you. If you can already see the tail lights of the vehicles in front there is really no need for rear fog lamps. However, in daylight when it's foggy (or there's heavy surface spray) and you can't see the vehicle in front, it's a good bet no one can see you. Yes, it may well be daytime but that doesn't mean you can't turn them on.
It is so simple, if you can see other vehicles normal rear running lights, fog lights are not needed. If you can barely make out the vehicles in front of you, they really are. How light it dark it is it's totally irrelevant.
P"
I go one step further, when I have my fog light on and a car approaches from behind, once they are following me I turn out the fog light and put it back on if they pass me or turn off. ready for the next vehicle.  |
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"
If they don't know the car or how the functions work on it, they shouldn't be driving it, in my opinion. "
Have you been to a supermarket lately? At least a third of drivers don't even know how to park... |
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By (user no longer on site) 8 weeks ago
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"
If they don't know the car or how the functions work on it, they shouldn't be driving it, in my opinion.
Have you been to a supermarket lately? At least a third of drivers don't even know how to park..."
And which age group would you say they mainly are?
Under 30
31 - 50
51 plus
Around here it's mainly older people that can't get on with newer cars and all their functions. And that's not me being rude at all. |
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"
Exactly this,Just who are the brain dead designers and manufacturers that dreamt up the (not so bright!) idea of lights at the front of a car when the driver can see where their going yet "lets not bother having any sort of automatic system that turns the rear lights on" when needed.
What was wrong with the good out side lights came on together with ignition and when driver can't see the road ahead they turn on headlights,and they have alredy got rear lights on
They do this because it’s not a legal requirement to have the rears on as well, on most cars you can configure the rears to come on as well as the fronts
..but how many drivers will even know about that configuration?"
Exactly what harm is there having rear lights ON in day light ? If the car has Daylight running lights on at the FRONT,have front and rear on with the ignition on...or are the designers trying to get more sales by having people running into the rear of unlight vehicles driving around on just Daylight running lights at front (so they can see where their going) and 'assume' front and rear is illuminated as the dashboard is lite up |
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I suspect a lot of the issue these days is that modern car lights have an automatic setting so people don’t even think about lights any more, they simply rely on technology ( I am guilty of this) and although grey and gloomy, the car doesn’t think it necessary for lights.
I also suspect the number of cars with defective lights may be down to the manufacturers making it so difficult to change the bulb. The days of simply removing a rubber cover on the light to change the bulb have long gone, you now need to dismantle half the car |
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"One of my road rants is about the use of fog lights. People seem to only put these on if it's dark and foggy when, for the most part, they're not required. If it's dark, your normal running lights tend to show pretty well unless it's really foggy. By all means use your front fogs in these conditions, it's what they're designed for to improve your forward vision, but your rear fogs are only so others can see you. If you can already see the tail lights of the vehicles in front there is really no need for rear fog lamps. However, in daylight when it's foggy (or there's heavy surface spray) and you can't see the vehicle in front, it's a good bet no one can see you. Yes, it may well be daytime but that doesn't mean you can't turn them on.
It is so simple, if you can see other vehicles normal rear running lights, fog lights are not needed. If you can barely make out the vehicles in front of you, they really are. How light it dark it is it's totally irrelevant.
P
I go one step further, when I have my fog light on and a car approaches from behind, once they are following me I turn out the fog light and put it back on if they pass me or turn off. ready for the next vehicle. "
Yes, this.  |
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Doesn't look like more than a handful on here are too bothered and certainly none of the 'blissfully unaware that they are unlit anywhere other than on their dashboard display' drivers, if tonight's ongoing numbers spotted by me are anything to go by.
Don't give up yet, though, I have a plan. |
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I can’t award the manufacturers with the level of thoughtfulness that you do, given that new vehicles are routinely borderline blinding other road users at night with unnecessarily bright white light, some with a nasty blue tint to them. |
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Here we go again. Another squence of days when midday has been almost like twilight yet a considerable number of drivers don't seem to think that there is any need for lighting even though most other cars are illuminated to some degree or other.
All the more important now as being lit is the simplest way of being noticed especially now that black and dark grey are the most popular colours.
How many people even take conspicuity into consideration when choosing the colour of a car?
I went out today and used a section of fast urban semi motorway and about one in ten cars were completely unlit and many more only showed front running lights, the rear ends only conspicous while braking. This surely is a sign that some drivers are not giving the conditions very much thought. |
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Merry Christmas from your car lighting evangelist..
Today, the big day, there were few cars about but eveything was as grey as the geese favoured by the Christmas poultry niche market.. ..the weather, the cars, the roads.
It was only 3.30pm so probably not official lighting up time but almost exactly as it was this morning.. ..hardly any cars were using lights at all.
Different clientelle from busy weekdays but why do they not seem to understand that in this age of most cars being noticeable by at least having some front lights on, the unlit cars now stand less chance than ever of getting noticed at all in gloomy weather, especially as they are nearly alway painted in low visibilty shades? |
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Interesting observation yet again today (Boxing Day).
Higher than normal numbers of cars wearing no lights at all even though everything was incredibly gloomy.
I can only conclude that there was a higher than usual number of casual versus regular drives out and about. I suspect that regular drivers have a higher perception of road safety issues than casuals who are venturing out purely for social, domestic or pleasure reasons.
Once again the scary combination of grey weather, grey roads, grey rules and the grey/ black/ navy blue cars which are currently most in vogue. |
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OP I get what you mean...
I have lost countless amounts off times when I am either driving to work in the early morning or coming back later on in the day or say going out in general...
one recurring theme is that if it's foggy, poor visibility/dark out, snowing, heavy rain etc..
there is always without a doubt some people who like to speed, tailgate, have no lights on or drive like they are Evel Knievel or something in a speed race??
doing dangerous last minute turns, no indications etc or my favourite undertaking dangerously close without warning???
when in fact in conditions like that you're meant to take more care or caution at least common sense would dictate that right?
for the most part I leave them be to it and figure fuck it if they want to go crash into a wall or lamp post be my guest just don't drag me or other people down into you're stupidity with you.....
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By *abioMan 2 weeks ago
Newcastle and Gateshead |
Is that what it was today…drove from east London back to Newcastle and it was pretty dense in patches all the way down the a14 and the a1
Don’t get me started on the amount of people driving without the back lights on |
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"
...
Don’t get me started on the amount of people driving without the back lights on "
That's because the dumbos don't even realise that the back ones aren't always switched on just because the front ones are. A lot of drivers don't understand the switching sequence. Plus a widespread assumption, even by car designers, that only the front needs to be seen.
Ever since dashboards started going electronic, you can no longer assume that if the dash isn't illuminated the exterior lights won't be on either. Lots of cars are too complex now for many drivers to understand. Couple that with the belief that you don't have to know how anything works any more and this is how things end up. |
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