What Are Fog Lights And When To Use Them

Driving your automobile can become challenging when the weather is not ideal such as fog, mist, rain, dust storms, and smog. These factors reduce the driver's visibility and make it harder to see what's ahead on the road. It may lead to accidents since the driver's vision is impaired. So, your vehicle must have the perfect lights capable of helping you steer out of poor visibility and ensure you don't collide.  Under these conditions, fog lights play an essential role. Fog lights are separate from the front headlights and have different functions.

WHAT ARE FOG LIGHTS?

A fog light is situated at the vehicle's front end under the headlights. Fog lights are fixed at the lower end of the front bumper and are angled down towards the road to throw light on the road. Fog lights are not mandatory, unlike the head or taillights. Driving in severe fog using fog lights are usually offered as an add-on by many automobile manufacturers.

Hence, it means that fog lamps are considered and thought to be an additional pair of lights and can be utilized along with the headlights in conditions where the visibility becomes low. Fog lights are not meant to be used as your primary lights (headlights) since they only cover a small area. Fog lights are perfect for enabling the driver to see road markings and are useful when the car is driven at a low pace.

WHEN TO USE FOG LIGHTS

There is much confusion amongst the people as to when fog lights should be used. As these lights are aimed downwards, they are of no use when the visibility is good, and there is no need even to turn on these lights. Fog lights are ideal and beneficial under the following conditions:       

FOG

As the name suggests, fog lights are perfect when there is fog, and it becomes challenging to see on the road. You might be wondering what is wrong with using headlights during foggy conditions? You might know it, but headlights reflect the light after hitting the fog particles and cannot penetrate these particles. Due to their low positioning, fog lights can illuminate the road, reducing the driver’s inability to see clearly to a great extent.

SMOG

Smog is air pollution formed by the mixing of smoke and fog. Smog can significantly reduce visibility and make it difficult for the driver to see ahead on the road. Therefore, fog lights are helpful under these conditions as they will throw light on the road and make it suitable for the driver to see what's ahead on the road.

RAIN

When it's pouring down heavily, your headlights may generate glare when used under heavy rain. Thus, fog lamps are ideal during heavy rain, which helps you see the road ahead of you and increases your visibility. Despite this, you might also want to know the safety tips for driving in the heavy rain so that you don't get stranded in the middle of the road.

DUST STORMS

If you live in an area where there are dust storms, then having a fog light is a must in your car as it will greatly increase your ability to see during the storm and help you exit the highway or pull over onto the shoulder. Even though it is not recommended that you continue to drive during a dust storm, you still need to take your car to a safe area as you wait for the dust storm to pass.

Wrap Up

It concludes our blog post. Nowadays, automobile manufacturers already offer fog lights. If your vehicle does not have them, we recommend that you get them right away. It will improve visibility significantly. On top of it all, top-quality fog lights improve your automobile’s appearance.