is the law ban using fog light ?

[Speed]

sorry i need to know, it the gov NSW ban using fog light ? and fine apply if cause using it ? how are they ban from ? if i drive in freeway at night, normal light can't help me to see. i need to turn on fog light, with is helping alots, when i drive in freeway. can i get fine from it ?

[Hiro]

sorry i need to know, it the gov NSW ban using fog light ? and fine apply if cause using it ? how are they ban from ? if i drive in freeway at night, normal light can't help me to see. i need to turn on fog light, with is helping alots, when i drive in freeway. can i get fine from it ?

Fog lights are not illegal, per se, but should only be used in foggy conditions, hence their name. If you are having trouble seeing the road at night in normal weather conditions, then consider using high-beams (if no-one is in front of you or coming the other way and could be blinded by them), consider getting some driving lights (which are different to fog lights, and have their own set of legalities regarding fitment and use), or get your low-beams checked out. Any car sold within the last 10-20 years in Australia should have headlights adequete enough for night driving on a freeway, either standard or with a simple bulb upgrade.

[Keisari]

You can be fined for inappropriate use of foglights.

Also, you may not be able to see properly without your foglights, but do also consider other drivers whose vision you might be disrupting by using them in good conditions. Some drivers don't mind, others do.

[VF-X]

Yes.. You can get fine. As Hiro said, you should be able to drive perfectly normal in night-time on freeway with regular OEM bulbs, or you can use high-beams if the distance to the next car is well apart. You can try swappin to HID, but it's not very effective when the rain pours down heavily.

What I'm curious is, how do the foglights affecting other drivers'? I know the rules, just don't get the how the - way.

[DJKOR]

It's the glare that affects other drivers. Now most people jump into this argument saying that properly aimed fog lights should cause no more glare than the low beams alone. What they don't realise that it's not just direct glare (which you get from poorly aimed lights), but it is the indirect glare such as that which bounces from the surface of the road and other things.

One way or another, it is an extra light source that is close to the other. Go into a room and turn on one light and see how bright it is. Then turn on another light and you will see it get brighter. You don't have to be staring at the light to see that it gets brighter.

I'm not one of those guys against those that use their fog lights because of glare. I am against them because they try to justify why they drive with them in clear conditions despite the fact that the rules are set which state they are not to be used in clear weather conditions. It's like those that try to justify their speeding by saying they do so "safely". I can't care what you say, it's still against the law.

[keioffice]

hmm i never get pulled over when i use them

best to only use them in heavy rain tho

[danja]

if i drive in freeway at night, normal light can't help me to see. i need to turn on fog light, with is helping alots, when i drive in freeway.

If you can't see far enough ahead using regular lights, that tells me you probably need either 1) glasses; or 2) to slow down.

[STYLSH]

There are 3 sorts of lights.

Fog lights (little things at the bottom of the front bar) : These are used for foggy conditions. They cut through under the fog immediately in front of the car. ie they DONT increase the distance you see when used with your normal low beams. This is why you will see more of everything a few metres around the front.

Driving lights (like the big ones on 4wds): Are used to supplement highbeams - only on when high beams are on. They increases the range you can see. They will blind everyone around you.

Daytime running lights (audi/merc led strips on the front) : These DONT help you see further either. They let other people see YOU better. These are allowed to be on all the time regardless of weather condition.

So if you are on a freeway at night, turning on your foggies will allow you to see more directly in front of the car but will actually make you see less distance because your eyes has to adjust to the brightness up close. Eg an extreme example. Drive down the highway with just your low beams. Now turn on your interior light. You will now see LESS distance even though you haven't changed anything to your low beams.

In QLD you can be fined for using your foglights as DRLs. But the fine is a piddly $30-50 and 0 points. Hence why so many people still drive with them on.

[Mecha-wombat]

if i drive in freeway at night, normal light can't help me to see. i need to turn on fog light, with is helping alots, when i drive in freeway.

If you can't see far enough ahead using regular lights, that tells me you probably need either 1) glasses; or 2) to slow down.

yep could not have said it better

[Ronnyboy]

sorry i need to know, it the gov NSW ban using fog light ? and fine apply if cause using it ? how are they ban from ? if i drive in freeway at night, normal light can't help me to see. i need to turn on fog light, with is helping alots, when i drive in freeway. can i get fine from it ?

They are not illegal but should only be used in diverse conditions. From memory its a $90 fine with loss of 2 Demerit points.

I havent seen your fogs so im not sure how bright they are but if oncoming traffic high beam you then it must be bright :)

Your other option is to upgrade your low beams to HID lights if your willing to spend the money or even get night driving lights.

[FourToyotas]

What is it about fog lights that make some people want to use them on a night without fog. Do they think that their car looks prettier with four lights.

I live in a fairly hilly area and when one these idiots approach I give them high beam because those fog lights are fairly high intensity and when they come over the crest of a hill they shine directly in your eyes.

I'd increase the fine and make them write a thousand times on the blackboard I MUST SWITCH OFF MY FOG LIGHTS OR BE BRANDED A MORON.

[Ozzcaddy]

The following is copied from the NSW RTA Road Users Handbook:

Fog lights

Front and rear fog lights must only be used in fog or rain, or when conditions such

as smoke and dust limit your vision. It is a legal requirement that once conditions

improve and you can see more clearly, the front and rear fog lights are switched

off.

If your vehicle is not fitted with fog lights you may use your headlights during the

day in these adverse conditions.

You can download the Handbook from www.rta.nsw.gov.au/licensing/downloads/road_users_handbook.pdf

[Martinj]

There is no law banning use of foglights - they are a safety item in snow, where there are no road lights, and of course, fog.

As for LED day time lamps, I thought that to use these you must be a w*#k&r driver of an Audi (typically a base model A4 with body kit) or a HSV Boganadore. However, I could be wrong...

The lights that seriously do annoy me the most are the bi-xenon creations, particularly from BMW. These are most commonly turned on as early as possible during the day so as to prove the financial nouse of the owner of the base model 320i who forked out $2k for the headlight upgrade option. Heck, no one will see a $2k payment on the mortgage, so let the world know your aunty left you a small inheritance and blow it on light bulbs for your car. However, I could be wrong...

[DJKOR]

There is no law banning use of foglights - they are a safety item in snow, where there are no road lights, and of course, fog.

If there's no law, then explain how police in NSW and QLD have the authority to fine you and have it defined as a fineable offense in their documentation?

[Hiro]

There is no law banning use of foglights - they are a safety item in snow, where there are no road lights, and of course, fog.

If there's no law, then explain how police in NSW and QLD have the authority to fine you and have it defined as a fineable offense in their documentation?

Technically there is no law banning them, just one regulating when they can legally be used.

[DJKOR]

Knew I could rely on you Hiro to provide a logical and clear answer to the question.