With winter bringing low temperatures and fog across the country, those fog lights on your car will finally make a living. But how do they actually work and when should you use them?
Aside from the obvious (use them when driving in fog, especially at night), you should also use them when visibility is “severely reduced” – technically not only due to fog, but also snow and heavy rain . It is prohibited by law to use them in bright conditions, both day and night, due to the risk of dazzling other drivers.
Their function is to deliver a short, wide beam of light that penetrates the fog and illuminates both the area directly in front of the vehicle and the sides of the road. The beam is directed downwards so as not to reflect through the fog.
Ricky Wilson / Stuff
Driving in fog means using your fog lights.
The front fog lamps must be white or orange in color and must be wired in such a way that they can be switched on and off independently of the headlamps. Rear fog lamps may only be red, with the same wiring rules.
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The headlamps should also be mounted symmetrically and as far as possible to either side of the vehicle. They must not be positioned higher than the dipped beam and must be able to be switched off from the driver’s seat.
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Fog lights (the lower bulb) are not the same as daytime running lights (the C-shaped light in the main headlight cluster).
And when mounted, they should work, with LED lighting requiring at least 75 percent of the LEDs to work.
Daytime running lights are not the same as fog lights, even though they may look similar. CSRs are not there to give you extra visibility, they are designed to make your vehicle more visible to other road users.
A maximum of two DRLs are allowed on your vehicle, meaning most modern vehicles are not allowed by law to have extras.
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Driving lights like these are usually aftermarket additions that provide extra light to the high beam.
DRLs can also be just white or orange in color. Some white bulbs may have a blue tint, which is acceptable as long as they aren’t TOO blue (for headlamps as well), and some LED daytime running lights (and headlamps) have a purple border around the rim, which is also acceptable.
Driving lights are something else again, usually aftermarket additions that provide extra light to the main beam of the headlights and must be wired so that they go out when the main headlights are dimmed.
Cars can have up to four high beam headlights, including high beam, while motorcycles can have up to two.