Fog often comes suddenly, which makes it so dangerous for drivers. If visibility is severely affected by weather conditions, it may be necessary to use additional headlights to increase visibility and allow safe driving even in these conditions. This is the case, for example, with fog. When fine water droplets are dispersed in the air, fog lights can help illuminate the road better.
Which lighting is the right one now? Additional fog light illuminates the road better. Which lighting on the vehicle is the best in fog and poor visibility? Fog lights and rear fog lights ensure more and better visibility.
Most modern cars have fog lights. They are helpful because they scatter the light flat across the road, illuminating it better. But how do you use them correctly?
You can always switch on fog lights in addition to the low beam if fog, snowfall, or rain significantly impede visibility. As soon as the visibility improves, you have to switch off the fog lights again.
The rear fog light may only be switched on when visibility is less than 50 meters. You can use the delineators as a guide, they are 50 meters apart. If the visibility is only 50 meters, you can drive at a maximum of 50 km/h.
The rear fog light can be very dazzling if you switch it on in good visibility. If this is the case, you may face a fine.
All modern cars have rear fog lights. They serve to warn the following traffic. Rules apply to their use:
You can only turn it on when visibility is less than 50 meters due to fog. If the lamp is used when visibility is better, the following traffic will be dazzled.
Rear fog lights may also be used in built-up areas. Visibility can be just as bad in built-up areas as it is outside of built-up areas. There is no obligation to switch on rear fog lights. You may use the fog lights in combination with the parking lights or low beams. However, you must not use them as an alternative to daytime running lights, as you can dazzle other drivers.
Fog lights are usually fitted with conventional or halogen bulbs. Most often, LED bulbs are used for fog lights. They are characterized by durability, higher light output, and long service life. However, before you buy these items, you should make sure that they can be used on public roads in your country.
LED bulbs are superior to conventional light bulbs in many respects. They have a higher light output, longer service life, and less glare. This makes them extremely efficient.
There are important aspects to consider when installing LED lights as fog lights. LED fog lights must be fitted in such a way that they are no higher than the dipped beam headlights, they must not dazzle other road users and must be fixed in such a way that they cannot be moved unintentionally.
LED fog lights must emit white or bright yellow light. Most often, LED fog lights that are already installed as standard in your car usually comply with the laws that apply in your country. If you want to retrofit fog headlights in your vehicle, these fog lights must be of an officially approved type.
When installing fog lights, adjust them in such a way that the outer edge of the light beam is no more than 40 centimeters from the widest point of the vehicle, or switched in such a way that they can only be operated together with the dipped beam. New fog light bulbs must be adequately fastened and must not be able to be adjusted unintentionally.
Your LED fog light bulbs should have an illuminance of no more than 1 lux at a distance of 25 meters at the vertical height of the headlights. This prevents dazzling other road users.
So if you want to install new LED fog lights in your car, you have to make sure that, like all other vehicle parts, they meet certain legal requirements.
Caution! If you install fog lights in your vehicle that does not have the corresponding official identification and therefore do not have legal permission to be used on the roads in your country, you may face a fine.
The most common cause of the fault is filament breakage. The filament can tear off or break. The filament can also be broken by shaking, vibration, collision, or by foreign objects hitting the lamp. Another common cause of burnout is surges or constant high voltage in the electrical system. In addition, rapid temperature changes are harmful, for example, when a car drives through a puddle of cold water and the housing of the lamp is damaged.
It is not mandatory to turn on the fog lights or rear fog lights.
The light switch for the fog lights and the rear fog light usually has two stages. Turn the light switch to the low beam sign. If you then pull the switch out one notch, the fog lights come on. The sign lights up green. If you pull the switch out a second step, the rear fog light also comes on. The yellow icon appears.
Fog lights are designed to be used at low speed in fog, heavy mist, snow and other poor-visibility situations. They're different from daytime running lights. They are an extra pair of lights mounted low on the vehicle, with the thinking that fog doesn't settle on the road surface but hovers 12 to 18 inches above it.
When should you use fog lights? According to the Highway Code, you should only use your fog lights when your visibility is reduced to 100 metres (328 feet) or less – the equivalent of a football pitch. If you use it when you can see further than the recommended distance, you could put other drivers at risk.
The one showing a lamp pointing to the left and with lines pointing diagonally down through the vertical wavy line is for your front fog lights. The one pointing in the opposite direction, with lines pointing horizontally straight through the wavy line is for your rear fog lights.
Headlights are the main driving lights of your car, located in the center of the car, intended to illuminate a long range of the road and cars up ahead. Fog lights are smaller, auxiliary lights, located under the bumper, to light up the road immediately near the car.
Although it's not a legal requirement to use your fog lights if you're driving in fog, it's much safer to so that other motorists can see you. Never use your fog lights when visibility is clear though, especially at night when other drivers can easily be dazzled.
Yes! You do get the best results when you actually use the fog lights in foggy conditions. The problem, however, is that people tend to overuse them, even when it's not foggy outside. Some drivers, for example, have the habit of using fog lights at night for extra illumination.
Fog lights can also offer better visibility under heavy rainfall. High and low beams may produce glare when used in heavy rainfall, which is why you need fog lamps to help you see the road in front of you. Fog lights provide better visibility when driving in heavy rainfall.
How to drive in fog
Yellow lights are the best among fog light colors because they hit your retina in a way that enables you to focus on the road. Staring constantly at white light can frustrate the eye, and darker colors like blue and green have limited wavelength.
There will be symbol on your car's dashboard or on the fog light button itself: it's normally an amber indicator for rear fog lights and a green one for front fog lights.
Explanation Low beam headlights should be used in fog, rain, and snow. The light from high beams will reflect back to the driver under these weather conditions, causing a glare that will make it difficult to see ahead.
You MUST NOT use front or rear fog lights unless visibility is seriously reduced (see Rule 226) as they dazzle other road users and can obscure your brake lights. You MUST switch them off when visibility improves.
Are fog lights the same as low beams? No. Fog lights are a separate beam, only come on certain cars and are not required by law. Fog lights are typically found in the front bumper of a car or truck in their own separate assembly.
Do all cars have fog lights? Rear fog lights are a legal requirement on all cars. Front fog lights are only fitted to certain models, usually as an aesthetic add-on for higher spec cars. All new cars have DRL, daytime running lights that are also intended to do help the car be seen on the road.
LED fog lamps can be used as daytime running light on condition that they have an adequate dimming function and are positioned symmetrically on the car front. This is the case for most cars.
Car manufacturers say that headlight technology is so good, extra fog lights are simply not needed anymore. In fact, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration doesn't require them or even test their effectiveness.
What about front fog lights? These days, most models come with fog lights in the front too. These lights shine a low, wide beam which is designed to cut below fog and help you see where the edges of the road are. Unless the fog is extremely thick, these lights are not absolutely necessary.
Since fog lights are dim and aimed downwards, there's no use for them unless visibility is an issue. They're only necessary when the weather is terrible or it's hard to see the road in front of you, meaning that you should reserve them for dangerous driving conditions, such as: Rain. Snow.
Typically, the rear fog light is a bright red light that is the same brightness as your brake lights. In Europe, two rear fog lights are common, but in the United States, this is not currently allowed.
What Are Fog Lights or Fog Lamps? Front-facing fog lights and fog lamps are a type of automotive headlight that is designed to emit light in a bar-shaped beam. The beam is typically designed to have a sharp cutoff on top, and the actual lights are usually installed low and aimed toward the ground at a sharp angle.
Fog lights are designed to cut through fog and mist, unlike full beam lights that are reflected by fog. ... In most cars you'll need to turn your dipped headlights on before pressing or twisting the fog light switch.
Also, fog lights turn off with the high beams like they are supposed to. But yes, they are automatically turned on with the low beams if you have them toggled on.