Driving At Night With The Fog/spot Lamps On.

[phutoie2]

Yep I am as guilty as the next man/woman, driving about on just about all types of roads at night time with the fog lamps/driving lights etc on. Probably because every else does it around the boonies here and I thought it was just the norm.

Well just like in my own country unless in poor visibilty, crap weather - your not supposed to, up to a 500 THB fine if caught.

Its in the main English lingo rag today. Lots of Bangkokian drivers complaining to a high ranking RTP bod.

He's going to write about it on his facebook page , so that's sorted then.

[VocalNeal]

..and the rear ones as well I hope.

[ignis]

How else can they show they are driving the higher spec car at night ?

[transam]

Your drunk.

[NanLaew]

We all know that they are specifically fog or spot lamps for use in certain circumstances but I say leave the Thai's alone and let then use all the lights if they want. Buddha knows they need all the help they can get seeing sh!t when driving, more so at night.

[dominique355]

When I happen to drive behind a car with his rear fog lights on, I use my high beam light and drive at a certain distance...

Hey, he wants to get noticed. Me too.

[NanLaew]

^ To be honest, the few cars on the market here with high-intensity tail lights, the owner/driver probably doesn't even know what they are all about and just another switch to mess with. They are mostly for cars being driven in very poor visibility like snow and really dense fog, neither of which are a weather phenomenon is LOS. The manufacturers or importers need to disable them as they are very annoying and really impair night vision when encountered on a night drive in Thailand.

[funcat]

You do get fog in Northern Thailand....

...and smog

Edited January 22, 2013 by funcat

[kartman]

You do get fog in Northern Thailand....

...and smog

Along with the dickheads that drive in it with no lights at all.

Edited January 22, 2013 by kartman

[Payboy]

Lots of "Bangkokian" drivers haven't the foggiest about various automotive dos & don'ts, I suspect.

[Jitar]

Along with the dickheads that drive in it with no lights at all.

I am with you on that one. Driving with no lights or inadequate lights is a much bigger hazard than having Fog lights on.

[VocalNeal]

When I happen to drive behind a car with his rear fog lights on, I use my high beam light and drive at a certain distance...

Hey, he wants to get noticed. Me too.

I have to admit that I have started to do this. The problem is the moron in front has no idea why I am doing this? Except if/when I pass I usually flash my rear fog light but even then......

[wilcopops]

I get the impression that many motorists actually don't know their rear fogs are on. Is it possible that they come on together with the front spots?.

Anyway they certainly don't know what they are for or when they should or shouldn't be used, and in a country virtually devoid of fogs the answer for the majority of motorists would be NEVER!

Edited January 25, 2013 by wilcopops

[VocalNeal]

Here a brain surgeon/rocket scientist from yesterday. As you can see at 6.00pm it is neither dark not foggy.

[diddums]

I must be missing something, I never see or notice these rear fog lights...... don't think my car has them, never seen them.

[WarpSpeed]

They are mostly for cars being driven in very poor visibility like snow and really dense fog, neither of which are a weather phenomenon is LOS.

Heavy rain also qualifies which there is no shortage of...Especially on the highway with heavy spray and higher closing speeds..

[culicine]

I'll occasionally use the fog lights when driving slowly around tight sois - plenty of dogs, bikes with no lights, etc, to run into. They give lighting around the sides of the car that you can't get with normal headlights. I've never been bothered by people using fog lights at night. What bothers me is modified high intensity lights that blind oncoming drivers and stupid bright red 'fog' lights on the rear of cars (particularly vios'). What on earth is the purpose of these???

[VocalNeal]

I must be missing something, I never see or notice these rear fog lights...... don't think my car has them, never seen them.

Even the lowly 350,000 Suzuki pickup has one (it's the light under the RHS rear light cluster)

[diddums]

I must be missing something, I never see or notice these rear fog lights...... don't think my car has them, never seen them.

Even the lowly 350,000 Suzuki pickup has one (it's the light under the RHS rear light cluster)

Thanks....really have never noticed it on the rear and never inconvenienced by it at night.

My pickup does not have one.

As mentioned, the halogen headlights are far more annoying.

[wilcopops]

They are mostly for cars being driven in very poor visibility like snow and really dense fog, neither of which are a weather phenomenon is LOS.

Heavy rain also qualifies which there is no shortage of...Especially on the highway with heavy spray and higher closing speeds..

using rear fogs in rain can be incredibly dangerous.

It dazzles motorists behind, it fragments in the rain creating a kaleidoscope effect, and people are mislead into thinking that a car in frnt has put on its brake lights for an extended period - i.e. hard braking.

In most rainy conditions if you can see the sidelights of others DON"T put on your fogs.

Front fogs - do you actually know if you have fogs or driving lights - they are quite different. I have driving lights on the front of mine - next to useless in fog.

Edited January 26, 2013 by wilcopops

[cali4995]

it might have as much to do with the alignment of the beams as the added candlepower of the lamps

and it's doubtful drivers using the modified high intensity lights are concerned about glare to others

[wilcopops]

it might have as much to do with the alignment of the beams as the added candlepower of the lamps

and it's doubtful drivers using the modified high intensity lights are concerned about glare to others

Fog lights by their very nature don't have very definable beams - the idea is to disperse light in a way that it won't reflect back off the moisture and reduce visibility - this is why you should always use dipped headlights in fog too.

driving lights are a different matter.

Edited January 27, 2013 by wilcopops

[WarpSpeed]

They are mostly for cars being driven in very poor visibility like snow and really dense fog, neither of which are a weather phenomenon is LOS.

Heavy rain also qualifies which there is no shortage of...Especially on the highway with heavy spray and higher closing speeds..

using rear fogs in rain can be incredibly dangerous.

It dazzles motorists behind, it fragments in the rain creating a kaleidoscope effect, and people are mislead into thinking that a car in frnt has put on its brake lights for an extended period - i.e. hard braking.

In most rainy conditions if you can see the sidelights of others DON"T put on your fogs.

Front fogs - do you actually know if you have fogs or driving lights - they are quite different. I have driving lights on the front of mine - next to useless in fog.

First off, nonsense! That's WHY only ONE rear rain light is on and not both and it's not part of the brake cluster it's always distinctly separate. Secondly my post was referring to front fogs, but if you really know anything you'd know that even most professional race series use rear fogs and most exclusively in rain conditions to allow cars behind to determine depth and closing speed..

I am quite sure I had both rear fogs/rains and front driving lights/fogs but thanks for asking ...

Edited January 27, 2013 by WarpSpeed

[WarpSpeed]

it might have as much to do with the alignment of the beams as the added candlepower of the lamps

and it's doubtful drivers using the modified high intensity lights are concerned about glare to others

Fog lights by their very nature don't have very definable beams - the idea is to disperse light in a way that it won't reflect back off the moisture and reduce visibility - this is why you should always use dipped headlights in fog too.

driving lights are a different matter.

More nonsense, they definitely have definable beams so they do not reflect off the fog but rather penetrate the fog further ahead so dispersing the light is completely counterproductive and counter intuitive in application..

By "dipped headlights" you must mean low beams? Low beams are used because they also don't disperse as much light as high beams which are more designed for a broader, longer distance perspective in dark conditions..

Edited January 27, 2013 by WarpSpeed

[phutoie2]

Is that Suzuki really just 350k THB??, seems good value to me, better than one of those Tata things!

[wilcopops]

it might have as much to do with the alignment of the beams as the added candlepower of the lamps

and it's doubtful drivers using the modified high intensity lights are concerned about glare to others

Fog lights by their very nature don't have very definable beams - the idea is to disperse light in a way that it won't reflect back off the moisture and reduce visibility - this is why you should always use dipped headlights in fog too.

driving lights are a different matter.

More nonsense, they definitely have definable beams so they do not reflect off the fog but rather penetrate the fog further ahead so dispersing the light is completely counterproductive and counter intuitive in application..

By "dipped headlights" you must mean low beams? Low beams are used because they also don't disperse as much light as high beams which are more designed for a broader, longer distance perspective in dark conditions..

Sorry you're wrong - do some checking - a tight bright beam reflects, it does not "penetrate".

I don't think you know what disperse means either.....actually diffuse would be a better word.

Edited January 27, 2013 by wilcopops

[wilcopops]

sadly you still know nothing about driving in fog on public roads. More fool thou?

[wilcopops]

I think it's sad the way some posters are so limited in their view that they think they have more "experience" than others because they are so caught up in their own "glittering" lifestyle - it hasn't occurred to them that others have as much or probably more experience of motoring both on and off the track and are unlike themselves engineers and not simply mechanics or , god forbid, drivers.....

[Bung]

They put the lower lights on pickups as the head lights are too high up and don't light up the road close to the car. The term fog lights is wrong really as they are not designed for fog penetration. They are more like driving lights.

They are good for tight sois etc so you can see better what is directly in front of you, the head lights throw the beam too far in front. I don't use them at night on the open road as they concentrate your attention too close to the car, better to use the normal lights and concentrate farther ahead. I've tried both ways and prefer them off. Either way I am never bothered by them, tey are too low to be a problem. The people who put high wattage lamps in their cars are a much bigger problem.

[WarpSpeed]

I think it's sad the way some posters are so limited in their view that they think they have more "experience" than others because they are so caught up in their own "glittering" lifestyle - it hasn't occurred to them that others have as much or probably more experience of motoring both on and off the track and are unlike themselves engineers and not simply mechanics or , god forbid, drivers.....

Diddums and just what makes you think that drivers or people who race aren't engineers themselves? In fact motorsports of all kinds are replete (I've no clue what that word means either, it just sounds good ) with engineers... JFYI being an engineer has never meant omnipotence in terms of understanding (geez using those big words I don't understand again), quite the opposite in fact, it creates multiple opinions and perceptions which is the premise for what motorsports are based on.

I looked up the definition and here's what I found:

dis·perse

[dih-spurs] dispersion.

Yep just as I thought, no misunderstanding there ..

<deleted> is wrong with the cut and paste? Why won't it paste a definition? It shows in the preview but not in the final post?

BTW "glittering style"?? Ok then......... If you say so like I said, you're the man....

Edited January 27, 2013 by WarpSpeed