OK, here is the situation:

Your driving along a mixture of national limit & slower roads in town. There are lots of dark clouds overhead, and its raining lightly. On top of this, there is lots of standing water causing spray. In this situation do you have your lights on?

This has been the conditions around here for the past week or so now and there just seems to be so many cars driving round with no lights on. This morning I pulled out in front of someone, not on purpose, but because I couldnt see them. By the time i`v looked through a grubby window, grubby mirror (both covered in water spots) then through the spray of the car that has just passed I dont stand much chance of seeing a (silver!) car driving along with no lights on.

Thoughts on this people?

I would have dipped headlights on in any poor visabilty situation or where some lazy or stupid drivers fail to defrost or clear their windows of snow.

Dipped beams, not sidelights that i have not checked how dim or faulty they are.

That includes Police drivers who seem not to check their lights are working or switched on.

Too many drivers now coming up behind or towards with their DLR's twinkling away and driving off into the not too far distance totally unlit to the rear.

I will stop before giving my view on Driving/Fog lights to front or rear displayed on others cars when sitting nose to tail in town, in light rain and days after there was ever any fog in their area or town.

george

Lights are for seeing and being seen, so I'd be putting mine on in that situation

Chris

Soon as I leave in the car the Dipped head lights are on, any weather condition, sunny, raining or what ever, arrive at my destination and off go the lights.

It's still suprising how many people still don't see you coming and pull out.

lazy or stupid drivers fail to defrost or clear their windows of snow.

george

Off Topic

I followed a car yesterday on trade plates, obviously some one on a test drive, the car was full of people but the windscreen had all the 'For Sale" stickers all over it. How they looked out I will never know

Should be stopped and fined

Back on topic

Sorry

my dipped beams go on as soon as visibility is reduced by rain, hail, snow, spray on the road, herds of wildebeest roaming majestically across the M27 (lot of that here). See and BE SEEN is the key.

Soon as I leave in the car the Dipped head lights are on, any weather condition, sunny, raining or what ever, arrive at my destination and off go the lights.

+1 I do exactly the same.

On a side note regarding your other comment, i did see a salesman on one of the traffic police programs that was pulled over and fined for still having the 'for sale' lettering over the windscreen.

+1 I do exactly the same.

On a side note regarding your other comment, i did see a salesman on one of the traffic police programs that was pulled over and fined for still having the 'for sale' lettering over the windscreen.

I guess its no different to not clearing ice or snow off you windscreen

I always use dipped beam when visibility is reduced.

'Rant', by someone knocked off their M/Cycle while riding with Lights on in February 35 years ago.

Drivers duty to ensure their windows and mirrors are clear.

They need to stop in a safe place ASAP and clean them, even if this is a PITA.

Careless and dangerous driving, and no excuse that you dont see that Cyclist, car/vehicle, child etc.'

As a previous post said, See & be seen, ie light up,

But also ensure you have clear vision all the time, if in doubt, you need to halt, or act with due care and attention.

Hard work being a safe driver,

but milliseconds of a lapse can have huge consequenses.

george

Edited 11 May, 201214 yr by sk4gw

Your driving along a mixture of national limit & slower roads in town. There are lots of dark clouds overhead, and its raining lightly. On top of this, there is lots of standing water causing spray. In this situation do you have your lights on?

This has been the conditions around here for the past week or so now and there just seems to be so many cars driving round with no lights on. This morning I pulled out in front of someone, not on purpose, but because I couldnt see them. By the time i`v looked through a grubby window, grubby mirror (both covered in water spots) then through the spray of the car that has just passed I dont stand much chance of seeing a (silver!) car driving along with no lights on.

I'm going to play devils advocate.

I wouldn't have lights on with dark clouds and light rain. If you have grubby windows, and you are pulling into the spray of another vehicle, rather than waiting till you can see properly, then you are at fault IMO.

I would have side lights on in that situation. If it was very dark due to cloud cover, then may but the dipped headlights on, but purely for me being able to see better. So would depend on how dark it actually is.

I have my lights on a good 90% of the time, the other 10% is strong sunlight then the Autolights tend to turn themseves on!!

Be safe, be seen. as my 'bike instructor always said.

To echo what others have said, I always drive with dipped beam on, regardless of the conditions.

Whilst undertaking observed drives for my IAM test I was questioned as to why I was driving with sidelights on, my response being to be more visible. My observer recommended making a bold statement and driving with dipped beam on. I have done ever since.

'Rant', by someone knocked off their M/Cycle while riding with Lights on in February 35 years ago.

Drivers duty to ensure their windows and mirrors are clear.

They need to stop in a safe place ASAP and clean them, even if this is a PITA.

Careless and dangerous driving, and no excuse that you dont see that Cyclist, car/vehicle, child etc.'

As a previous post said, See & be seen, ie light up,

But also ensure you have clear vision all the time, if in doubt, you need to halt, or act with due care and attention.

Hard work being a safe driver,

but milliseconds of a lapse can have huge consequenses.

george

Best answer yet. There's no more to add to that.

I'm going to play devils advocate.

I wouldn't have lights on with dark clouds and light rain. If you have grubby windows, and you are pulling into the spray of another vehicle, rather than waiting till you can see properly, then you are at fault IMO.

Can you tell us why you wouldn't put your lights on in those conditions?

Can you tell us why you wouldn't put your lights on in those conditions?

Because my interpretation of "dark clouds and light rain" doesn't make me think of a situation where i would put lights on. That sounds like the weather in the UK 50% of the time.

Reading the original post, i see the spray and the grubby windows as being the issue, and they were both things the OP could have done something about (wind down window, and wait 2 seconds for the spray of the previous vehicle to subside)

But then, without having been there, and the limited information we are all given, i doubt many of us have the same mental pictures of the situation.

I tend to switch my lights on dipped as soon as the engine is started, have been doing this for about 3yrs

My lights come on automatically when it gets a bit gloomy. I agree, you need to be seen, and it amazes me how many drivers drive without any lights on, just because they can see where their going, they also need to be seen.

Regardless of weather i ALWAYS drive with my sidelights on, if it rains where i need to use more than wiper speed number 2 i will always put my dipped lights on.

Regardless of weather i ALWAYS drive with my sidelights on, if it rains where i need to use more than wiper speed number 2 i will always put my dipped lights on.

There not really side lights though, there parking lights.

Where does that gem of an idea come from?

'Parking light' as i have always understood it is a Single Light to the front and rear showing on the side of the vehicle away from the pavement,

while parked in poor visability or in the dark..

On a Fabia that lights are the front Sidelight that also acts as a DRL if you dont inhibit it, and a rear tail light.

Parking light is achieved with the vehicle parked with key removed and the indicator down at the side you want the 'Parking Light' displayed.

george

Edited 11 May, 201214 yr by sk4gw

I'm going to play devils advocate.

I wouldn't have lights on with dark clouds and light rain. If you have grubby windows, and you are pulling into the spray of another vehicle, rather than waiting till you can see properly, then you are at fault IMO.

I'm driving a bus. There is many parts of the window I cannot reach with a cloth & my arm alone. Not only that, but 30 seconds later it'll be filthy again in these conditions where the dirty water seems to stick to glass instantly. The buses are washed daily so it's not a build up of dirt, just general road grime. Even without the spray I still couldn't see cars in the distance, doesn't take long to cover ground at 70mph, so the small spec in my mirror is soon on top on me. Further to this, during busy times I'd never pull out if I waited 30 seconds after each car for the light spray to settle. What about if I'm joining a dual carriageway, am I suppose to stop and wait for no cars & all th? spray to be gone? Or coming up to a roundabout trying to move into the right hand lane? Again, do I just stop because there are cars around me causing spray?

Anyway, thanks for the replies, as it happens I too have my lights on all the time, nothing to lose for not doing so, I find people see me sooner with them on.

Cheers all!

Rain constitutes as reduced visibility. So does a low lying sun. Your lights should be on.

If in doubt then just flick the switch anyway.

Reading the original post, i see the spray and the grubby windows as being the issue, and they were both things the OP could have done something about (wind down window, and wait 2 seconds for the spray of the previous vehicle to subside)

But the effects of the grubby windows and spray on your ability to be seen would be reduced if you had dipped headlights on so why not just turn them on?