Volvo S40: Rear Fog Lights?

In bars across America, in 1971, while touring in a rented Chevy station
wagon.

 

Yah I know... I realized that but was too lazy to change it... Doesn't
really affect the point of the message...

Shame too, it was one of the better GM divisions.

 

The rear fog is show where the overtaking side of the car is in foggy
weather. To simplify manufacture, Volvo (probably Hella) makes rear combi
lamps with the option of having the rear fog function, and then at final
assembly, the correct bulb is installed.

Some people install the other side bulb, either to look "cool" or some other
reason. It's not proper and could confuse drivers when overtaking from the
rear. Also, if both are on, it may confuse as to when the car is braking or
not.

So, there should not be 2 rear fog lights, only the drivers side, whichever
side of the road you drive on.

Jeff

 

What is confusing about having two rear fog lights? Do you just pass on
the side that has a bright light? You shouldn't be passing in the fog.
(The term overtaking is ambiguous, it can me coming up to and it can
mean passing.)

One big advantage of two rear fog lights is that you can judge the
distance of the car in front much sooner in fog, since you can see how
far apart they are and judge the distance. Then you can stay back a
safe distance. If you are going to rear-end someone in the fog because
they have two rear fog lights, then you are following much too closely.
Also, the brightness of the rear fog lights tends to keep people from
tailgating.

A second big advantage of two rear fog lights is that if someone is
tailgating in good weather, you can click on the rear fog lights every
once in a while to make them back off. This is very effective and I do
it all the time. Just as people subconsciously follow too closely, they
subconsciously back off when they subconsciously think the brake lights
are on. I hope you subconsciously understand this.

 

also, do you pass/overtake on the left, or on the right?
LHD is often assumed, and incorrectly. Are there any RHD folk here who
could tell us RHD drivers which side the fog light should be mounted on?

Should the strange bright light be on the passing side? Should bright
lights suggest that you slow the fcuk down? Why are you driving in the fog,
anyway???

 

In an earlier contribution to this discussion,

Says who?

In my view, two fog lamps are *far* safer than one. And all this stuff about
confusion with brake lights is utter rubbish.

In the UK, many cars are supplied with 2 fog lamps, and some - particularly
Volvo - with only one. Both options are legal.

Are you saying that those manufacturers which opt to supply two are improper
in some way?

 

Of course, in some areas there isn't much point to having a car unless you
are willing to drive in fog. I learned to drive in the California bay area,
and fog was a fact of life. Pull over when you slow to a crawl, always be
able to stop in the distance you can see, and there is no problem.

Mike

 

You're following a car with two rear fog lights on. You glance at the
speedo, or into the mirror, or at the general situation on the road.
Then you look back at the rear of the car in front. Now, has he put
his brakes on in the meantime? Very difficult to tell. The danger is
not so much if you wrongly conclude that he has put his brakes on, but
if you wrongly conclude that he has not.

Personally, if I was in charge of the world, fog lights would be a
different colour to brake lights. This seems so obvious, that I'm
amazed that the rules in every(?) country require them to be the same.
--

Stewart Hargrave


For email, replace 'SpamOnlyToHere' with my name

 

Volvo and all other car manufacturers always mount the single rear fog
light on the drivers side. That is primarily because the center of the
road is most visible on curves. It has nothing to do with passing since
people don't pass in fog do they.

 

Hi Stewart,

A nice distinction, but surely you would notice that the car in front now
has FOUR bright red lights on, when previously there were only
TWO................

Andy I. ( Isn't it interesting that this topic has generated one of the
longest threads in this NG, again!)


| You're following a car with two rear fog lights on. You glance at the
| speedo, or into the mirror, or at the general situation on the road.
| Then you look back at the rear of the car in front. Now, has he put
| his brakes on in the meantime? Very difficult to tell. The danger is
| not so much if you wrongly conclude that he has put his brakes on, but
| if you wrongly conclude that he has not.

| Stewart Hargrave
|
|
| For email, replace 'SpamOnlyToHere' with my name

 

good point WAH...everyone should just stay inside!!..if
you get in an accident in the fog...its your own damm
fault for being there in the 1st place...

<grin>.........

 

It sounds good, but in practice this is not always the case.
Particularly in conditions of poor visibility, if the windscreen
wipers are going, if the brakelights and fog lights are positioned
close together, if there is a lot of other stuff to concentrate on
too. Travelling at a safe distance you may not be able to distnguish
the fog lights from the brake lights as distinct and separate lights.
Visually ( to my eyes at least) putting two lights of the same
intensity next to each other does not make me register a doubling of
brightness, at least not in daylight.

A third brake light helps, but then you may not know that the car in
front doesn't have one of these until it is too late.
--

Stewart Hargrave


For email, replace 'SpamOnlyToHere' with my name

 

Exactly. I don't know how it is in other countries but here in the
Netherlands it is illegal to drive with the fog light(s) on when there
is less than 50 metres of visibility.

In fog that thick, it is nice to have an orientation point to be able to
keep your distance and even better, when the person ahead _does_ hit the
brakes, you have plenty of time to stop.

Speaking of American cars... It amazes me that those cars are allowed to
drive unmodified with the single colored one-lamp-fits-all design... One
red light indicating the direction, brakes and regular lights...
amazingly ineffective...

Arnoud

 

No the least bit difficult. All cars with rear fog lights also have a
third brake light in the center.

Besides, with two rear fog lights, you can judge distance better and
tell if you are too close. In fog, many cars slow down by just taking
their foot off the throttle; the brakes are not used as much.

 

Actually FIVE, not FOUR.

 

Can we just stop this stupid religious argument? Use one light, use two
lights, heck use 20 lights, I don't care personally, if the guy behind you
is paying attention and has their eyes on the road it shouldn't be an issue
in the first place.

 

Please, James, don't loose your religion over a rear fog light or two or
three or four or five. You could just skip this thread you know.
However you stated your opinion also, so you must be wrapped up in it.

You know that vehicles that leave their headlights on all the time have
fewer accidents. That must mean that some people don't pay attention
and don't have their eyes on the road. Unfortunately they need to be
hit over the head with a 2x4 (bright lights in this case) to pay
attention.