Fog Light Rant

This rant is a long time coming. Finally came to a head while driving to work this morning in the rain. Ok, here goes...

Fog lights, where to start. In the whole time I have been driving (16+ years) there have only been a hand full of occasions where using fog lights would have been appropriate. Since owning a car that has fog lights (my '04 MINI) I have only had to use them maybe 4 times, while driving at night through pea soup fog. That is what fog lights are designed to do, distribute light at a wider and lower angle so that you do not get the glare back from the fog. Until recently most cars did not come with fog lights but now they are a selling point option with most cars. And since everyone now has them it seems everyone wants to use them all the damn time. Most "fog" lights fitted to cars now don't even accomplish their intended mission, to aim a low wide beam at the ground. It seems that 50% of the time fog lights tend to aim higher than the low beams of the car, this is especially true with all the SUVs and trucks. Drivers run around with fog lights on any time it is dark. Fun thing is, most cars make you turn on a completely separate switch to operate the fog lights once you have turned on your low beams! That means these mindless Urban Assault Vehicle drivers take the extra time to think about turning on the fog lights! Arrghh.

Leaving your front foggers on is bad enough but rear fog lights I hate even more. These are usually found on European cars (required by law by the EU). They are a good idea (I have them on the MINI and have used them once for their designed use) when it is really foggy (I'm talkin less than 50 foot visibility) and help a car approaching you from the rear know that you are there. But they are meant to be turned off once someone is behind you. I compare them to rear facing high beams, most of the time they are brighter than brake lights. When driving with high beams on you dip them when a car is coming in the opposite direction, same with rear fogs. But alas it never fails, if it is raining on my way to work I will see at least one or two cars driving in traffic on the interstate (sometimes it isn't even raining!) with the rear fogs on. Usually some idiot in a Jag or Land Rover talking on their cell phone and wanting to be seen. Really just doesn't make sense, again you have to actively make the effort to turn these on when you start the car and turn the lights on. If you leave your rear fogs on then I see it as you are ok with me pulling in behind you with my front high beams on just to make sure that you see me ok?

That's it, I'm done. Fog lights are great safety items and do increase your visibility....in the FOG!! Used alone on a dry night or in a drizzle they are just plain annoying.