Foggy Season Driving!!


akshay_crystal

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Of course driving carefully, no tailgating, etc are a give,

Fog lamps used to be a recommended fitment, but after Halogens came into general use this fell off. Having yellow does nt help much.

What I do is drive on side lamps with the Fogs switched on. (Both my Accent and Santro have them, the former OE fitment and latter a part of the bargain with the dealer). This way vehicles on the rear can also see me better (rear lights). In daytime lights are primarily to be seen this works nicely.

In the dark specialised fogs help for two reasons - firstly they are placed lower down and hence the reflected glare is less, and secondly the beam patterns of a fog are more diffuse, again helping on the glare front.

sgiitk2009-01-05 04:40:48

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Hey guys ' date='

i wanted to knw some of the tips for driving in 0 visibility condition i.e. fog!

 

Is installing Fog Lights in ur car really helps in 0 visibility condition , if yes then what is the price of fog lights and, what color of light is it >?? pure yellow??

 

thnx in advance

!see ya!
[/quote'] When driving in foggy days, the first thing i would like to tell you and others is that please NEVER turn your car's headlights to high beam keep it low only!many people do this and they think that it will improve more visibility!..but when that light is on highbeam mainly in foggy days it comes back and reflects to you so visibility gets poorer don't know how many will believe me on this, actually its even more better to switch on foglamps in your car if it does have any.smiley1.gif

vibhor2009-01-05 04:54:45
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yea that is true vibhor

i have experienced that!!

i was in a esteem and it was very very foggy

the driver turned on the lights on high-beam and couldnt see anything later he crashed in the road divider!

no injuries reported aside from the car was totaled!!

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I do have this experience of using high beam on Foggy days which reduces visibility.U can switch on Fog lamps.If the situation is very worse go for additional lamps apart from the OE fitted ones.

While driving U shall ensure enough caution not only to ur driving but also to the other man who is coming opposite.So switching on Hazards may help a bit.
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I think after market Hella lamps should work in dense foggy conditions now prevalent in the North. In Chennai, we use fog lamps only for 'intimidation' purposes, if the opposite guy tries to dazzle you, with high beam, I blind him by switching on the fogs and the headlamps to high beam, on my Elantra. I really want to buy a "Stun Gun" for some stupid's who park their vehicle's with the headlamp's on in high beam. Guy's really any one know's where one can get hold of a cheap stun gun <Chinese variety> for a few hundred quid, in Chennai.

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there is a simple concept that speed of sound is much times lesser than the speed of light .. and also sound needs medium to travel..

so while the fog is dense,it becomes difficult for sound to travel better and there light works better..

So put your lights ON in the foggy season..

@ Vibhor.,yeah thats true that you must drive on lower beam,instead of high beam..,that enhances the visibility ..

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Low placed fog lamps and the hazard blinkers are a must.

High beams are a NO.

Disclaimer: What follows is a much debated strategy.

What I do is that I prefer to follow a slow moving truck when driving in foggy

conditions on the highway- a truck that has tail lights that work

(that's rarer than most people would think)

I cannot stress these two points enough :

- Follow it at a safe distance (one car length for every 10km/hr of speed) .

- If others are trying to overtake you OR getting too close to your tail (keep

your cool) - Let

them pass - you don't want to risk them tailgating you. Following

too close is only going to cause trouble.


That said - Saw a 7 car pileup on my way to Patiala a week ago. smiley7.gifPeople were

sitting in the damaged cars because it was cold outside!!!  Don't do that

-  other traffic could still ram into you - move away from the

road .

If you ever end up in a situation where your car breaks down or is involved in

an accident on a foggy road - The first thing to do after you make sure your

passengers are ok is to warn other road users so they don't smash into your

vehicle. I usually keep a torch handy in the car for such emergencies.

 

You might take a wrong turn if you don't know the roads - so watch for

road signs too! Buckle up and drive safe

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Not sure how many people remember this from their high school physics - hence posting this bit of relevant trivia -

Ever wonder why your cars tail lamps are Red and the turn indicators orange ?

Red light has the longest wavelength amongst visible light and hence does not scatter easily - hence its the most visible (can be seen from further away) through fog/dust. Orange is also long wavelength (second only to red).

?

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Hazard lights are to show you are broken down and not to be used while driving!

Agree fully. Maybe nuts who switch on their Hazards are stating that they themselves are hazards.

Anything that you can't see in the fog is a Hazard ! Nut or otherwise smiley1.gif.

 

As a general rule, if you see a vehicle with hazard lights on up ahead, you should slow down until you know what the problem it is. With roads as unpredictable as ours - using them may be justified. Afterall, we do use (read overuse) the horn too! smiley9.gif

 

Plus - (talking about road users in general) what percentage of the vehicles on our roads has tail lamps that work ?

 

Tractor's towing trailers - you might be lucky if you can spot one in the fog.

Animal carts - forget it.

Older busses - neah - not a chance in the world.

Trucks - mixed bag - some have tail lamps that work - some don't.
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  • 11 months later...

Hazard lights are to show you are broken down and not to be used while driving!

Agree fully. Maybe nuts who switch on their Hazards are stating that they themselves are hazards.

Check out the new Audi Q7.

It has a new safety system called "pre-sense", which activates the hazard lights, closes the windows and sunroof and pre-tensions the seatbelts under hard braking.

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My old alto model does not have fog lamps. There are no provisions as well to get one fitted. Will fitting one aftermarket help ? I have osram silverstar 60/55 which claim +50% light but in fog they are the same as stock 60/55. I have been told that installing fog lamps will drain battery quickly and the reflectors get heated up too quickly, so i cannot switch them on for long. Is this true ??? 

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No you can fit fog lamps separately in your alto but the job means that they have a cut a part of bumper to put it in. Also don't get carried away with that osram bulb of yours it will definately not give 150% light go for higher wattage headlamp with a cut out , best thing is go to an accessory shop and enquire about fog lamp . Don't go to MASS.

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No you can fit fog lamps separately in your alto but the job means that they have a cut a part of bumper to put it in. Also don't get carried away with that osram bulb of yours it will definately not give 150% light go for higher wattage headlamp with a cut out ' date=' best thing is go to an accessory shop and enquire about fog lamp . Don't go to MASS.[/quote']

Thanks rsshsmiley1.gif . This old alto does not have clear lens headlamps. Will higher wattage bulbs damage my reflectors ? I have been given different opinions and i am confused. I really need either good lights or good fog lamps.

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Most of all driving must be with utmost care.Fog lamps are quite helpful for visibility but are overwhelmed by dense foggy conditions.I remember I had a torrid time with the dense fog sometime in July, a few years back at Mahabaleshwar. Atop the Sahayadri range,  the fog created  very tough and challenging conditions to drive, in the ghat sections.The visibility was hardly half to one  meter or so. It was first  gear,brake pedals, fog lights and speeds of 10 kmph or so and most important of all, providence that saw us through.

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