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Fog lights are specifically designed to enhance visibility in foggy conditions. While the name suggests their purpose, there is often confusion about their usage.
Apart from fog, fog lights are beneficial in various low visibility situations where standard headlights and taillights may be inadequate. In this article, we provide comprehensive guidance on fog lights, including when and how to use them, as well as the regulations governing their use and placement.
Fog Light Checklist:
- At least one rear fog light must be installed according to the law.
- Front fog lights are optional.
- Fog lights should only be used in adverse visibility conditions.
- It is prohibited to use fog lights when the weather is clear.
Fog lights are designed to aid visibility when bad weather conditions reduce your ability to see the road ahead. Front fog lights can cut through mist, fog, rain or even dust as they are mounted lower down than headlights in the front of the car.
Rear fog lights use very bright bulbs to cut through mist and fog to alert other road users of your presence.
Front fog lights are typically positioned low, below the headlights, illuminating the road directly ahead of the vehicle. It's not mandatory to have front fog lights, and many manufacturers exclude them from their base models, offering them only on higher trim levels.
Rear fog lights are integrated into the rear light cluster and shine directly backward, signaling your presence to vehicles behind you in low visibility conditions. In the UK, it's a legal requirement to have at least one rear fog lamp, which must be fitted to the center or offside rear of the vehicle.
Fog lights are beneficial when visibility is compromised, such as during snowfall, thick fog, or mist obscuring the road ahead. They can also be helpful in situations with heavy spray on the motorway.
Using high beams in these conditions can actually decrease visibility, as the bright light reflects off the fog or mist, further hindering visibility.
According to the highway code, front or rear fog lights should only be used when visibility is significantly reduced. This terminology indicates that their usage is mandatory, not merely recommended.
The incorrect use of fog lights can potentially dazzle or blind other road users, and rear fog lights may obscure your brake lights. The general guideline is to use fog lights only when visibility is less than 100 meters ahead, which also applies to headlights. Additionally, according to the highway code, both front and rear fog lights must be switched off when visibility improves.
It's not always necessary to activate both front and rear fog lights; front fog lights should never be used to illuminate the road in normal driving conditions, as headlights serve this purpose. Use your discretion: if it's foggy but you can still see the road clearly, there's no need to use them.
However, rear fog lights should always be activated when visibility is poor to alert other road users of your presence, rather than solely for your own visibility of what's behind you.
The method to activate your fog lights varies depending on the make and model of your car. Typically, there will either be a separate button on the dashboard or a function on your indicator stalk that allows you to control the fog lights.
Fog light controls are often located near the headlight switches. Some cars feature a rotary knob on the dashboard that can be pulled or pushed to activate the fog lights. Alternatively, there may be buttons next to this knob that serve the same purpose.
Most vehicles have a dashboard or driver display symbol that illuminates when the fog lights are on, similar to the headlights. The symbol for the front fog lights is an oval-shaped lamp with three diagonal lines intersected by a wavy vertical line on the left. The symbol for the rear fog lights is an oval-shaped lamp with three horizontal lines bisected by a wavy vertical line on the right.
According to the Highway Code, drivers must switch off fog lights when visibility improves. Leaving the front fog lights on can dazzle drivers ahead, and the rear fog light(s) can obscure the brake lights. Additionally, neither front nor rear fog lights should be left on when the vehicle is parked. Incorrect use of fog lights can result in a fine.
All cars must have at least one rear fog light as a legal requirement. This light must be fitted to the centre or offside rear of the vehicle. Front fog lights, however, are not mandatory. Most manufacturers reserve front fog lights for their more expensive models, and they are generally mounted low down in the bumper, below the headlights.
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