whats the law driving with these on, heard of someone driving on the highway with headlights and driving lights the ones low down on the car at the same time and was threatened with a fine!
clark20,
Apr 22, 5:30pm
You are probably talking about fog lamps and they are only meant to be on in fog or misty conditions.
morrisman1,
Apr 22, 5:50pm
fog lights legally can only be used in times of reduced visibility. fog lights generally only shine low to light up the road without lighting up the fog
driving lights are different, they are like a super powerful high beam and they must only activate when headlights are on high beam and be independently switchable.
rob_man,
Apr 22, 5:52pm
What he said, some of them are quite hard on opposing traffic. It used to be illegal for them to be able to be switched on at the same time as headlamps but that seems to have changed. It's the sign of an ignorant prick when drivers switch them on in clear conditions just to impress others with the fact they have them.
but at about $1200 for a pair they are almost worth more than the car itself
hairypup,
Apr 22, 6:31pm
Pity they were not fined as they should have been!Only tossers drive around with driving and headlights on. So many we see are out of alignment and are a lot brighter than the headlights on lowbeam. I have no idea why the pigs dont use this as another revenue gatherer
quickbuck,
Apr 22, 6:38pm
Okay, there is a lot of discussion on this at the moment, and by the sound of the sample of people on Talk Back Radio, there is a very large percentage of people who have no idea what things on their car are actually for.
Fog lamps are just that. They are the little lamps usually below the bumper that are independently switched, for use in FOG ONLY! In many cars they also make the outside rear (Right Hand Side, in our case) tail light light up a little more.
If you have a vehicle with Day Time Running Lights, then these are for use in the day time, and should be turned off (or disabled) when the head lights are turned on for night driving.
Really, one needs to ask a person in the know (Or, heaven forbid, read the manual. Yes, I do realise 50% of them are in Japanese) what all their features are for in their vehicle to be totally sure.
Hope this helps.
flitt,
Apr 22, 6:51pm
There are a lot of drivers who at night will get about with fog lights and side lights on and headlights off.
quickbuck,
Apr 22, 7:03pm
Yup, more dangerious than speeding. The Police should crack down on this.
vtecintegra,
Apr 22, 7:05pm
I'm pretty sure that was how a WRX in one of those anti-drink driving ads (the bloody legend ones) was being driven.
Always annoyed me.
johnf_456,
Apr 22, 7:07pm
I doubt it is more so than speeding.
rob_man,
Apr 22, 7:16pm
If LTSA decided to make it one of their targets I'm sure they would make a case that made it appear more dangerous than speeding in their ads.
rob_man,
Apr 22, 7:19pm
Another dangerous and annoying habit is the townies who drive in the country at night with their lights on dip. When you get stuck behind them blundering along into the inky blackness it's near impossible to plan a safe passing manoevre because their lights don't illuminate that far ahead.
quickbuck,
Apr 22, 7:24pm
Really! The whole speed thing, is relative to the distance you are able to see in front of you. See, heading down the straight at Hampton Downs at 100k appears awfully slow, as there is so much space available. However 100k down K road is a very different situation, and dangerous. Obviously.
Now, driving at night, with limited visibility, and then reduce it by not having the correct lights on, the effect means the driver will either perceive a huge increase in speed. OR, completely ignore the situation, and effectively drive on faith. Either way, more dangerous than exceeding 100k on a bright sunny day with no traffic around, on a very wide straight road. However that is the most likely place to be pinged.
74nova,
Apr 22, 7:27pm
The driving lights on Commodores are the worst. They all point right in your eyes, They do nothing and are apointless waste of time.
johnf_456,
Apr 22, 7:30pm
Oh don't worry I just saw the part fog lights only. I assumed fog and normal lights but don't worry I just read your comment not the one you quoted. But yeah bit of a yes and no with the speed thing.
flitt,
Apr 22, 7:47pm
I have met a lot of drivers who have received tickets for it.
cjdnzl,
Apr 22, 8:10pm
First, how do you know they are 'townies'!They could be a pissed-out-of-their-tree country bumpkin for all you know. And relying on their lights to show you the road sounds odd as well.Fact is all overtaking at night is risky, roadworks, corners, animals and other objects are hard to see, and at overtaking speeds > 100kmh the danger is considerable.Moral: wait until you can see. I use a gps at night, not to tell me how to get where I am going, but so I can see what the road is like ahead of me, side roads and corners are all visible on the scrolling display which helps eliminate some of the hazards of night driving.
rob_man,
Apr 22, 8:28pm
I say townies because anyone who used to driving at night in the country soon learns how pointless it is driving in the dark with lights on dip. Coromandel during a long weekend is a good place to spot this behaviour. I don't see why you can't grasp the concept of being able to see the road ahead better when following a car which has lights on high beam. What's the problem with that! Would you rather see the following vehicle having to put their lights on full beam to see if there's room to pass! Another safety aspect is cars coming the other way can see there is an approaching vehicle a long time before it comes into their field of vision when lights are on high beam.
zak1998,
Apr 22, 8:34pm
Led xenon are new on the market on all new BMWs and they are real bright
rsr72,
Apr 22, 8:43pm
With modern high-powered headlights extra driving lights, excepting fog lights. are redundant now.
rob_man,
Apr 22, 8:47pm
Even my old BJ73 Landcruiser lights are disturbingly adequate, one of the few vehicles I've never felt the need to fit driving lights to. Maybe 24V helps.
morrisman1,
Apr 22, 8:59pm
having some of those hella +90 (aka osram nightbreaker) bulbs makes a great difference when on high beam. Low beam is much the same as stock but the high beam has a slightly cooler temperature and a lot more output.
Im concerned about cjdnzl having to resort to gps at night to know where he is going, Ive always found looking out the window quite sufficient
speedwayfan1,
Apr 22, 9:08pm
Just buy some landing lights from a 747, give you plenty of time to line up that possum 2km down the road too.
cjdnzl,
Apr 22, 9:15pm
To clarify: the gps display shows me the lay of the road for at least a kilometre ahead, with corners, side roads etc all visible in real time.Of course I also look out the window, but I can only see what's within the range of my headlamps, maybe 500 metres if the road is straight, and if there is a corner coming up I cannot see where the road goes after the turn.If you know the road, fine, but if you aren't familiar with the area the gps does a good job of showing you the road ahead beyond the turn.I don't need to set a destination, just switch the gps on and it will show you the road ahead.
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