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Dunno I run amber color lamps in fog to see and be seen ahead and have on red running lamps on back of everything I own. In the 20th century everyone just knew amber was 'it' in fog.
Oh I know and it ticks me off too! So many times I see cars in heavy fog with no lights on! I live in NE Tennessee and there are hills and valleys and we are not strangers to morning fogs, especially if its rained the evening before.... usually though about a mile up the highway it usually turns clear and sunny as you are getting away from the river, etc. The other morning I was leaving for work and seen a gray car with no lights on, I was grumbling to myself how stupid it was, I mean I could hardly even see cars with lights on! I know it was sunny up the hill and maybe some didnt even think to turn the lights on, but this is when responsible driving comes into play. Its something I would not forget to do.
Also makes me mad when people drive in the "dusky dark" with no lights on. Its crazy and careless. I will usually flash my headlights like crazy to those people.
They also need to realize that there taillights need to be on as well... some thing their DRLS only are fine, but they are not. Also the DRLS cannot cut through the fog.
Quote:
Originally Posted by sirron
I've wanted to ask this for a long time, but don't want to cause a ruckus. My question is simple, and I really can't think of a reasonable answer. Why do some folks drive in a heavy fog without turning on their lights?
I saw it again this morning: Mini Coopers, concrete trucks, it's not any one type of vehicle. And, it's the gray-colored ones that are hardest to see. I know that you can see to navigate, but aren't you concerned that someone might not see you?
Okay, let me have it; I'll duck.
This is the worst... how stupid can they be? How can you miss noticing the dash is not illuminated? Younger women are the number one offenders of this from my experience, probably too distracted with texting to notice.
I know it... I see this too... sometimes in the dark and you know they have to know they dont have lights on. Pure carelessness. I agree - seems that younger people are the worst offenders. I am not saying all, but seems like the biggest %'age are younger drivers. Those need to read their handbooks again.
I've wanted to ask this for a long time, but don't want to cause a ruckus. My question is simple, and I really can't think of a reasonable answer. Why do some folks drive in a heavy fog without turning on their lights?
Specific answer: because they're idiots. General answer: because we as a society simply refuse to demand that people piloting gigantic chunks of metal actually do so competently.
Oh, also - I have a friend that I work with that had purchased a new 2010 Mitsubishi Lancer last year. She thought her headlights automatically came on so she never turned them on.... that went on for months until a police officer reminded her to turn her lights on. (Ironically her dad is an officer, lol). Apparently on her car, the dash lights illuminate even when the headlights are not on. Many cars are like that these days. Now she knows to turn her headlights on. lol. People need to also read their owners guide when they buy a new/different car and learn how the controls work.
Not much different than the idiots with daytime running lights that don't turn on their lights after dark, not being able to figure out that they can't see their instrument panel or that their headlights are kinda dim.
Many of the newer cars with daytime running lights also illuminate the instrument panel all the time. When you turn on your lights, comes up. Nothing else. At night, the drivers looks at the road, and is lit by his daytime running lights, then looks at his instrument panel, and is also lit so he thinks that everything's ok, not realizing that his taillights and side markers are OFF.
The quasi-scientific answer is this. The reason it is difficult to see through fog is because the droplets intercept and disperse the blue end of the light spectrum. Throwing a lot of dispersed blue light into the fog just creates a distracting halo glare, as the light bounces back to you. Since standard headlights contain some blue light, turning your lights on just adds more glare, which is why fog lights are amber. If you drive in fog with low beam, you can minimize the glare at eye level, so it is true that you should not use your brights in fog. The reason fog lights are mounded as close as possible to the ground is because fog is least-dense (and often absent) at ground level, and the light from lower sources can penetrate further before being reflected back to your eye.
The above has gotten distilled down through serial folk-translations to "Turn your headlights off in the fog".
However, that ignores the essential principle that, except in deep darkness, the reason you use your headlights is not so that you can see the road better, but so other drivers can see and be aware of you. If you turn on your headlights and you can't tell if they are on or off, the ONLY thing they are doing usefully is making you visible to other drivers.
By the way, if you wear amber-tinted sun-glasses (such as blue-blockers) when driving in fog, you will be amazed how much more clearly you can see objects in the distance. I always wear mine in fog. They block out the scattered blue light rays that have been diffracted by the fog, and only "true source" light waves reach your eye.
No, Jezer, but they should. Anything to make oneself visible to others, yes?
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comes up. Nothing else. At night, the drivers looks at the road, and is lit by his daytime running lights, then looks at his instrument panel, and is also lit so he thinks that everything's ok, not realizing that his taillights and side markers are OFF.
