How many fog lights should a car have

By law, all cars built since must have at least one rear fog light. This will be operated using a switch with a symbol similar to those above. In most cars, they can be switched on using the same stalk as the headlights, or by a button on the dashboard. The symbol for fog lights can be seen on the rectangular switch in the picture above. If the wavy line is to the left of the lamp graphic, those are your front fog lights. If the wavy line is to the right, this activates your rear fog lights.

While it might be tempting to flick it on to give a better view, in thick fog it will cause reflections and reduce visibility even more. When a car stops behind you, though, use your handbrake and remove your foot from the brake pedal to avoid dazzling the other driver. Winter driving: how to save fuel and protect your car. Is it illegal to run out of fuel on a motorway?

New car scrappage deals: all the offers. Come to Northern Ireland and watch drivers in a line of traffic with main beam on as well as front LED lights and fog lights as well.

And this is in town. I have a small sports spider and I would like to add to the other comments that many motorists, especially in vans and SUVs, blind me with their headlights, I realise this could be an issue that I should resolve myself, but only if they remain neatly behind me. My problem is the way quite a few are slightly out of line, therefore one of their headlights is directly in my mirrors.

I will echo the high beam use in fog. In my early days at the wheel, the first time I saw dense fog which near the Channel happens quite a bit in winter! I did turn on my high beam once in fog, I saw that not only could I not see better but vision was dramatically reduced. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Sign in. Forgot your password? Get help. Password recovery. Car fog lights: how and when to use them. Everything you need to know about car fog lights, including how and when to switch them on, plus the penalty for using them incorrectly.

In the Pacific Northwest, it comes up mostly in winter. Just like there are different types of snow, there are many types of fog.

Oregon has freezing fog that can coat the road like black ice. Tule fog can reduce visibility on a stretch of highway to only a few feet, while other areas are nearly clear.

This is true of fog anywhere: You can be driving along with enough visibility and then suddenly go through a patch where you can barely see the road. Some drivers seem to think that the slightest bit of mist is reason enough to turn on fog lights, but that is certainly not a reason to turn them on.

Fog lights are designed to be used when visibility is severely restricted, chiefly by fog, but also in other poor visibility conditions such as snow or heavy rain. They should only be used when your car's main lights won't be enough to make you visible to other road users.

The Highway Code Rule states:. You may also use front or rear fog lights but you MUST switch them off when visibility improves. In the UK, street lights on 30mph roads are placed no more than yards metres apart. So a good rule of thumb for using your fog lights is whether you can see the next street light up the road from the one you're passing.

Use this rule, and it's clear that it's only going to be in the foggiest or snowiest conditions that fog lights should be used. Of course fog lights are a useful extra tool when visibility is poor, but they won't make you invincible. Use common sense - if you can't see very far ahead, slow down, and keep a good distance to the car in front of you. If there's fog, the roads are likely to be slippery, too, so give yourself more room to brake and slow down. If the fog has cleared, you must switch off your fog lights because you risk dazzling other road users.

Be aware of prevailing weather conditions - while fog usually forms in the early morning, it will melt away as the sun rises, so if you've started your day with your fog lights on, make sure you continue to evaluate the situation and turn them off when the weather is clear.

If you've broken up your journey, then there's every chance that the fog lights have turned themselves off when you switched off your car's ignition, so they will only come back on if you switch them on yourself.

But do try and check that they are definitely off if you are still going to drive with your headlights on. The Highway Code gives explicit instruction on when you shouldn't use fog lights, in Rule You MUST switch them off when visibility improves. The important point here is about obscuring brake lights. Rear fog lights are brighter than standard tail lights, so when you brake, other motorists may not be able to see your brake lights illuminate.

Obviously fog lights aren't needed when it's dry, and there's not much point in turning them on when it's dark, either.