Question for Dave E....

[Richard W]

Dave,

Can you enlighten me on the law/police attitudes to the use of parking/side lights and fog lights.

I'm having a bit of a rant here :evil: and would appreciate it if you could let me know whether I'm thinking the right way.

Well here goes.......

Question to all: Does the use of parking/side lights :idea: and front fog lights distract/annoy/dazzle you on the roads?

Are the people who switch their parking/side lights on and then their fog lights complete t$%^ers.....? There's a time and a place for the use of fog lights and it's not as a subtitute for headlights. I don't think the alignment of these lights are checked on the MOT so there's usually one pointing skywards or straight into the oncoming drivers eyes. (and I would have to say it's not just the young ones in hot hatches)

What I think is worse is (I live on the edge of a rural area), the amount of drivers I see in the mornings these days who are driving on their parking lights alone is amazing, in the darkness it's very difficult to see these twits who drive obliviously from their well lit urban driveways into the darkness of a country lane (any motorway drivers see this?).

I'd be interested to hear real opinions here :?: - if you think my attitude is arrogant then say so!

Dave, if I'm wrong and the law only requires these 'candles' to be used then is this a problem in winter?

Thanks,

R

 

[Guy]

Checkout this thread

http://forums.mercedesclub.org.uk/viewtopic.php?t=1188&highlight=foglights

 

[Richard W]

Thanks Guy, I missed that one!

Just seen whilst collecting my daughter from her nursery tonight a 306 with coloured sidelights (purple!) and tinted lens on the fogs AND those blue lights on the washer jets! I thought I was driving towards a neon sign! :lol:

 

[dave elcome]

Richard.

Sorry to be so late replying, i missed it yesterday.

I think the question has been answered already, but just to re emphasise my point, i think they are a real nuisance, and its a great pity that more manufactureres don't do it the MB (and Vauxhall ) way, ie turn off the lights and off go the fog lights.

As an addition, we are having much debate over these blue lights, ie illuminated washer jets (why??), it would appear at the moment that the bl**dy things are not illegal, in that they can't be meant to be an emergency beacon, but they do show other than a white or amber light to the front, (green also if you are a doctor on call, doubt that 99.9% of nova drivers fit that!!).

Have a look here. http://www.hughesguides.com/QandA/qanda.html#anchor

 

[Richard W]

Thanks Dave, I've read the other thread now and am glad to see I'm not the only one!!! :lol:

Richard

 

[GaryC]

Hello,

Form my knowlege, if there are no fog or heavy rain, u could never turn on the fog light, as I have try before, and an offcier nicely ask me to turn it off, and expand this to me.

Colour side light or headlight are illegal, it specially for some people, such as, green for Doctor, Blue for amred force, red for something else, (I can't remember).....

so, if u see someone have colour side light or headlight, if they are not such kind of preson, they simpy break the law....

hope this could answer the question...

 

[A Class]

As an addition, we are having much debate over these blue lights, ie illuminated washer jets (why??), it would appear at the moment that the bl**dy things are not illegal, in that they can't be meant to be an emergency beacon, but they do show other than a white or amber light to the front, (green also if you are a doctor on call, doubt that 99.9% of nova drivers fit that!!).

Couldn't you just stop them and hand them a 'you car has no style ticket'.

Seriously roads are now so crowded, that anything that adds to the confusion should be stoped.

My biggest bugbear at the moment is people who when taking their children to school drive like idiots past it so they won't be late or can get on to work quicker.

I am going to generalise here but the number of large 4x4 with one small child peering out of the back, with the mother or father doing 40+ along a narrow road with children and parents walking along the pavement is disgusting.

The other day my daughter dropped her scarf while we were crossing the road, a woman taking her child to the same school in a Disco came bowling along the road, she had plenty of time to stop (as I don't cross if I can see cars) but did she no chance, she had to get on. Drove straight over it, luckily my daughter is sensible and hadn't even tried to rush back for it.

Perhaps all schools should have a 20 mph limit outside them by law, I know that is becoming increasingly common, oh and speed cameras as well or frequent speed traps. Perhaps even a name and shame system, with the worst offender of the day, broadcast for all to see.

sorry for the rant, but it saves me fing and blinding while I walk with my children

 

[GaryC]

Hello,

From my point of view, yes, I agree with u, we should drive slowler in the school zone, children can't judge how fast the car is.

But sometime, we have to educate our children that, NEVER play on the road, althroiugh the driver doing slow enough, if some children playing on the road, or suddendly come out from the pavement, what could we do?

Beside of this point, I think Everyone want to have more safety road, and enviroment for living, but road safety were not only rely on the motorlist.

Our nice grovenrment and council spend so much tax payer money to install and maintaence the traffic light and zebra crossing for the pedestrians, but HOW MANY OF THE PEDESTRAINS ARE WILLING TO USE??

From my experience, many pedestrians just crossing the road what ever they want, whenever they could, they always charting or playing with friend, reading, charting on mobile phone....etc, and never use the crossing facility, never observe the traffic signal, and the situation of the road, and just cross...

Come on! what happen here in the country??! motorlist obey the traffic light, but why the pedestrians not obey the light or use the light to cross the road?

Beside of pedestrians, have anyone has the experience about cyclist? they cycling in the pavement, wrong way of the road, and many of them never obey any traffic signal! In fact, incident of cyclist accident who kill the pedestrian, has happen before in Manchester.

To have more safety road, we can't only blame the motorlist, the cyclist and pedestrians also have to do something.

People always talking about road safety, and blame the motorlist from speeding or bra bra bra.... is simply wrong, (yes, I argee, speeding is totally wrong, because speeding is really a bad thing in the road), if u want to put your life at risk by NOT obey the traffic signal and cross the road, who can help u??!


Might be a bit far away from the topic, but that just my point of view, we have to do something......


Thanks..

 

[A Class]

if some children playing on the road, or suddendly come out from the pavement, what could we do?

Stop, speed kills fact, inapropriate use of speed kills, people who speed outside of schools when they are picking up/ droping off children are in my view are the lowest of the low.

My daughter is four, I have always tried to educate her how dangerous roads are, I get her to judge when it is safe to cross the road, and she holds onto my hand when we are doing it or if the conditions dictate. However she is only four, four year olds do get wrapped up in their own world they do the most unexpected things, hence the motororist should expect this and moderate their speed.

Remember 30MPH is a maximum speed and conditions can mean that a slower speed is waranted. The next time you drive in a 30 MPH zone, look at your speed, think to yourself should I be going this fast? What if that child stepped off the pavement, could I stop, or if that skateboarder falls off into the road.

Of course as you say eveyone who is uses a road/pavement has a responsability to act safely, but surely if our own driving style can help minimise the chance of the most dreadful accident occouring that could be a good thing?

Sorry for the rant this is not personal I just happen to feel strongly about it. If you ever want to see what I mean, go to your local primary school when the children are being droped off and see how parents treat the roads around them

 

[GaryC]

Hello,
Yes, I strongly agree with u, as we do have primany school around here, we should drive as slowest as we can in the school zone, I totally agree with u and understand the problem.

But what I mean is, some children even playing football on the street! and chasing each other, and the worst case, which always happen, is try to stop a on coming bus! Many of them never care about the traffic. Even sometime when we drive slow enough, if we hit them, even 20mph, will cause injury, although not serious, but still hurt, is it?

It was very good that you teach your daughter how to cross the road and how danger the road is, if every parent can teach their children this way, wasn't it better? Clearly that not all the parent do this...

Yes, our own driving style could help reducing the number of traffic accident, in fact, I never has any accident before. When I on the road, I drive extemely careful. (may be I don't want to die that soon..)

Many accident was not the false of the motorlist, yes, we could notice that many motorlist driving badly on the road, such as no turning signal, wrong way, driving right in the middle of two lane...... but to reduce the total number of accident, is everybody responsibility, we can't only blame a small grope of people.

At least, anyone, please do something to ask the cyclist to ride better?? not in the pavement, obey the signal, obey the law, riding like driving maner, and respect to the other road user....




thanks.......