The psychology behind the useage of fog lights.

[fabiamk2SE]

Bring it on. I drive everywhere in a welding mask

Thats a good idea.

I'll have to get myself one of those in an attempt to make myself immune of the fogs

[aldouk]

I turn mine on too when I drive past people who have theirs on, let them see how they like it. Also, I'll blind the other driver with my high beam if no one is behind them (works a treat on country roads).

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[fabiamk2SE]

I turn mine on too when I drive past people who have theirs on, let them see how they like it. Also, I'll blind the other driver with my high beam if no one is behind them (works a treat on country roads).

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Gotta be abit careful though. Dont want them crashing into you cos they cant see haha.

[samj2013]

A lot more daylight front-fogs switched on drivers about these days. I'm sure it is the proliferation of DRLs that is a major factor. People who don't have DRLs feeling left out and so they switch 'em on to pretend like they have....

What even is the point of DRLs? I'm not being rhetorical, I'd really like to know...

[Ootohere]

This about covers it,

http://www.theaa.com/motoring_advice/safety/daytime-running-lights.html

But Daytime Running Lights should be Daylight or when bright or good visibility only,

& when Dipped Lights or light Front & Back are required DRL's are not suitable.

[fabiamk2SE]

What even is the point of DRLs? I'm not being rhetorical, I'd really like to know...

To make motorcyclists stand out even less (they havent been able to turn their headlights off since about 2005)

Thats about all i can see it doing tbf.

[samj2013]

To make motorcyclists stand out even less (they havent been able to turn their headlights off since about 2005)

Thats about all i can see it doing tbf.

I don't understand it, if you want lights on during the day, just turn your dips on, same as you would at night?...

[fabiamk2SE]

I don't understand it, if you want lights on during the day, just turn your dips on, same as you would at night?...

It doesnt make a lot of sense to me either if im honest mate.

I suppose in theory a vehicle with lights on stands out more.

But then if you have the lights on every vehicle, it just becomes the norm, we get used to seeing it and it doesn't stand out anymore.

[Furbytom]

What even is the point of DRLs? I'm not being rhetorical, I'd really like to know...

They are supposed to make the car more visible from the front, as a safety feature. Pedestrians more likely to see you coming and not step out in the road etc etc. Not sure how much evidence there is for their use though.

[Furbytom]

I am used to seeing chavs driving around wiith their front fogs on during the evening/night time but now there seems to be a huge proliferation of people using them in broad daylight. I'm convinced that is people trying to pass them off as DRLs.

[fabiamk2SE]

soo many cars/vans with those aftermarket led strip drl things.

Like its some kinda fashion they must try to keep up with

[samj2013]

They are supposed to make the car more visible from the front, as a safety feature. Pedestrians more likely to see you coming and not step out in the road etc etc. Not sure how much evidence there is for their use though.

How about just watching out for the bloody great car?! They're easy enough to see!

That said, I watched a woman step out in front of a bus this morning, and another chap step out in front of my car a few days ago, neither of them actually having bothered to look before they stepped out. Bloody idiots. DRLs aren't going to help if people don't actually bother to look in the first place. I mean it's not as if a car could kill you, right?!

 

sorry, rant over!

[silver1011]

DRL's don't utilise the dipped headlights as by having dedicated LED's or lower output 21W bulbs there is less strain on the battery.

[Ootohere]

My 2010 Skoda utilises the Unit which is LED as the DRL's & the same units as Sidelights only less bright,

& both are regularly mistaken as being Driving, spot or Fog lights.

Having them on just as Sidelights & the rears also on is really not causing battery strain.

 

My Volvo has Dipped Beam as the Running lights coming on automatically (not Dim Dip) and the Rears are on,

 or Sidelights can be used, but need switched on and off, they stay on even when the car is parked unless switched off.

They are designed with a nice Battery that has no strain put upon it, and costs maybe a quid or 2 in extra fuel annually.

[fabiamk2SE]

DRL's don't utilise the dipped headlights as by having dedicated LED's or lower output 21W bulbs there is less strain on the battery.

It uses no power if they arent on

They arent needed IMO.

[Maieth]

Okay, admittedly, I haven't read all 6 pages of this thread (just the first 3), so if my points have already been made I apologise, but to come back to the original question....

 

It looks quite cool.

 

Or at least I think that's what people who keep their fogs blazing in all weather think. 

I do think it's psychological, as the thread title suggests and I think it's something that works on a similar level to things like flared arches, low bodykits, lowered suspension, etc.  What most of these cosmetic mods (I know lowering has more benefits, but for many it's about the cosmetic change) have in common is they make a car seem lower and wider.  Its something that comes from sports cars. The cars we are conditioned to see as sexy and desirable mostly have a very low, (not just in terms of ground clearance, but overall height) wide silhouette. We are therefore drawn to visual changes that either mimic those proportions or draw our attention to the lower portions of the car, making the height less noticeable. Bodykits make the car look lower and/or wider without changing the height; lowering does make the car lower, while things like fog lights do the job of drawing the eye down and exaggerating the lowest, widest section of the car.  

Of course, once you start thinking about that, it stops working. But if you're not too aware of it, it's no surprise that someone would see a car with fogs, decide it looks cooler and flick their own lights on in the hope that others will think the same.

Quite meta I guess.

 

Personally, I think anyone that claims they need fogs to have enough illumination on dark roads needs to sort out their dipped beams.  Either the angle's wrong or you need better bulbs.

If you need to 'illuminate potholes', a) your beam is angled too high for the road you're on - unless you're in a classic car or a French car with broken electrics, you'll be able to flick a switch to dip them lower, and/or you need to slow down - if the road surface and lighting make it too risky to maintain your current speed, you need less speed, not more light.

If you have stuck something over your headlamps to reduce the amount of light in order to (again) make your car look cool and the resulting beam is so weak that you're now relying on the wide scatter pattern, low intensity light of your fogs........    well that just seems pretty dense.

[Maieth]

How about just watching out for the bloody great car?! They're easy enough to see!

 

A valid point.  The brain does track moving light better than moving shapes though, so a moving vehicle will be picked up on more quickly. Pedestrians and other drivers will probably see the vehicle with or without lights on in daylight, but will notice it quite a bit faster with those lights on. Could be the second or two needed to react quickly and safely.

Arguing that they would be seen anyway would be like pointing out that a car will still stop without ABS. Of course it will, but ABS helps it to happen quicker.

[samj2013]

A valid point.  The brain does track moving light better than moving shapes though, so a moving vehicle will be picked up on more quickly. Pedestrians and other drivers will probably see the vehicle with or without lights on in daylight, but will notice it quite a bit faster with those lights on. Could be the second or two needed to react quickly and safely.

Arguing that they would be seen anyway would be like pointing out that a car will still stop without ABS. Of course it will, but ABS helps it to happen quicker.

But surely if you take the time to check that the road is clear before you cross, it's not even an issue?

[fabiamk2SE]

But surely if you take the time to check that the road is clear before you cross, it's not even an issue?

Its worked for me for the last 18 years.

(Assuming i started crossing roads when i was 4. Im not sure about that though)

[silver1011]

My 2010 Skoda utilises the Unit which is LED as the DRL's & the same units as Sidelights only less bright,

& both are regularly mistaken as being Driving, spot or Fog lights.

Having them on just as Sidelights & the rears also on is really not causing battery strain.

 

My Volvo has Dipped Beam as the Running lights coming on automatically (not Dim Dip) and the Rears are on,

 or Sidelights can be used, but need switched on and off, they stay on even when the car is parked unless switched off.

They are designed with a nice Battery that has no strain put upon it, and costs maybe a quid or 2 in extra fuel annually.

 

I said dipped headlights not DRL's.

 

That was my point, LED's or 21W bulbs are favoured for DRL's as running around all the time with dipped headlights on all the time shortens the life of the battery.

 

Even Volvo now no longer use dipped headlights.

[Maieth]

But surely if you take the time to check that the road is clear before you cross, it's not even an issue?

Again, it's one of those things where it shouldn't be an issue, no.    But we all know that not everyone isn't as observant as we'd like, whether stepping off a kerb, pulling out at a junction, etc. From a humanitatian point of view, the irritating little LEDs might just save lives. From a cynical point of view they might just prevent a much more irritating collision and all the insurance and repairs related stress.

If looking for a second hand car, I wouldn't expect to pay very much more to find something with DRLs specc'ed and if it made it a tiny bit less likely for some drunk on his phone to step in front of the car late at night, or for some pillock to pull onto an island in front of me wihout looking, I'd be perfectly happy to drive around with them switched on.

[keystonedriving]

 

Arguing that they would be seen anyway would be like pointing out that a car will still stop without ABS. Of course it will, but ABS helps it to happen quicker.

 

At the risk of going off topic, if the ABS kicks in it will normally take longer to stop that simply locking the wheels (wearing a 'd' shape in your front tyres is actually quite an efficient way of getting rid of kinetic energy).  In theory ABS gives you the opportunity to steer away from trouble but as we are normally looking at the thing we want to avoid, and we generally steer where we are looking, it doesn't often happen.  If you have had some training and practice at using ABS to steer to safety you will have a chance, but there are very few drivers who have.

 

Back on topic.......

 

DRL's were developed for countries with large parts of the year with the sun low in the sky in combination with a low traffic density.  They have also been shown to work where there is heat haze in combination with a low traffic density.  In this country we don't have major problems with a low sun or heat haze and we tend to have a high traffic density.  Therefore for us these 'bling' lights serve no useful function, other than as a fashion accessory.  It is no coincidence that the makes with the most blinding DRL's are Audi, Mercedes, Land Rover, Jaguar, BMW ..........  Well they look cool don't they!

 

Over the years I have been driving I have seen vehicle lights get larger, more powerful and greater in number.  As a direct consequence we can see less because we are being continually blinded.  I really cannot remember the last time I actually developed night vision whilst driving.  As a direct consequence of this we now have cyclists with lights which are more powerful than vehicle headlights angled to blind drivers even more!

[Ootohere]

Some volvos now actually use the same rubbish LED DRL/ Sidelight unit as used on the MK2 Fabia vRS.

Far to bright when on as Sidelights and mistaken by other drivers as Spot, Fog or Driving lights.

Round and low and annoying.

 

Maybe better than the crazy ones on some New Clios though.

[stever750]

Back on topic properly. No need for fog lights full stop, they're a marketing / sales hype as they just don't work. The arguments for DRL's is another subject surely. FWIW lights on must be better than no lights, whatever the conditions. Maybe they should flash gently....

[Ootohere]

Have you never been caught in real fog?  

Where you start to fear for your life, and wonder where you can park up safe?

 

I was once 4 miles from home having left work and travelled 8 miles and driven into fog, there was a crash on the A90 and everthing at a standstill, going no place and i could take the slip road off, so i did.

i know the back roads like the back of my hand.

So down to about 5 mile per hour and followed the verge, and drove as carefully as i could.

 

About an hour later the fog cleared and i was almost back at my work, i had somehow managed to go totally in the wrong direction.

 

PS

DRL's on are still no lights to the rear in the UK as the cars are delivered as standard.

So the person driving without a clue that thinks those shiny light at the front are lovely,

are giving many coming upon them from behind no clue, other then maybe 2 rear reflectors.

Edited 20 December, 2014 by goneoffSKi