Driving etiquette - Another driver's lights are off

Forums › Transport (cars, bikes and boats) › Driving etiquette - Another driver's lights are off

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1102 posts

Uber Geek

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#1783174 16-May-2017 15:03

Oblivian: yay for 12 month warrants where noone cares or actually checks until they are ticketed.

Have you noticed that too!? So many cars with very bald tyres from bad alignment, light bulbs out, chips on windshields, minor light fixture damage etc since the law change.

Coil

6614 posts

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#1783176 16-May-2017 15:05

trig42:

I wish there was a signal for the eejits with a European car that think it is cool to drive with their fog lamps on and don't realise there car has a really bright rear fog lamp shining in everyones eyes that has to follow them.

I wired up my rear foglamps so they are on both sides on the beema. Independent of the front lamps so i can roll around with steeze cause my front foglamps are on.

But, My rears are on a switch and i can toggle them, flash them etc, When its dark its hard for them not to be blinding. Seems to work well..

mattwnz

20141 posts

Uber Geek

#1783177 16-May-2017 15:05

MikeB4:

I love automatic lights

Same here, except when someone decides to turn them off the auto setting !

I just flash any driver without lights on. It also alerts other drivers to be alert. But often drivers still don't take any notice. You do see a lot these days, and I think it is because often streetlights are quite bright.

davidcole

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#1783188 16-May-2017 15:22

mattwnz:

MikeB4:

I love automatic lights

Same here, except when someone decides to turn them off the auto setting !

I just flash any driver without lights on. It also alerts other drivers to be alert. But often drivers still don't take any notice. You do see a lot these days, and I think it is because often streetlights are quite bright.

And especially in the wet, when any lights reflect off the road, making it hard to tell if your lights are on.

But I'm lucky to have automatic lights also.

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vexxxboy

4243 posts

Uber Geek

#1783194 16-May-2017 15:24

i have driven quite a few times in brightly lit roads with my lights off, i just cant tell if i have turned them on , in older cars you couldn't see your dials at night if your lights werent on, now my dials light up when i start the engine .

Common sense is not as common as you think.

Zippity

683 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1783195 16-May-2017 15:25

It should be mandatory for motorists to switch their headlights on when the street lights are switched on.......

ubergeeknz

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Vocus

#1783210 16-May-2017 15:33

Zippity:

It should be mandatory for motorists to switch their headlights on when the street lights are switched on.......

It effectively is, since most streetlights are triggered off sunset / sunrise:

When to use headlights

You must turn on your vehicle's headlights:

from 30 minutes after sunset, until 30 minutes before sunrise
at any other time when you can't clearly see a person or vehicle 100 metres away.

Never drive with just the park lights on.

ref: https://www.nzta.govt.nz/resources/roadcode/heavy-vehicle-road-code/about-driving/night-driving/

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jonathan18

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#1783215 16-May-2017 15:37

MikeB4:

I love automatic lights

Same, but it's all good until someone else uses your car and turns the lights off automatic. Found this the other day when picking my car up from the mechanic after which I wondered why I couldn't read the display properly!

Generally I'll try to notify a car without the lights on with a couple of flashes on full beam - sometimes works, usually doesn't!

I tend just to swear at cyclists without lights...

tripper1000

1617 posts

Uber Geek

#1783218 16-May-2017 15:39

TimA:

trig42:

I wish there was a signal for the eejits with a European car that think it is cool to drive with their fog lamps on and don't realise there car has a really bright rear fog lamp shining in everyones eyes that has to follow them.

I wired up my rear foglamps so they are on both sides on the beema. Independent of the front lamps so i can roll around with steeze cause my front foglamps are on.

But, My rears are on a switch and i can toggle them, flash them etc, When its dark its hard for them not to be blinding. Seems to work well..

I commend you sir for lighting your BMW considerately and responsibly.

I too hate coming up behind Euro's with their rear fog lights on. Not only is it illegal in fair weather (link to road code), but it compromises safety - when following them, you either loose you night vision/burn your retinas out staring at the back of the car watching for brake lights, or you look away from the car to protect your eyes and don't see the brake lights at all.

lurker

831 posts

Ultimate Geek

Lifetime subscriber

#1783220 16-May-2017 15:40

I just turn my lights off/on or flick high beam. But nothing more than that, otherwise I'm spending more time worrying about them than my own driving.

tripper1000

1617 posts

Uber Geek

#1783223 16-May-2017 15:44

I think flashing your high-beam is the socially acceptable way of alerting another driver in N.Z.

Hand gestures and honking are generally accepted to be expressions of anger to a stranger and greetings to someone you recognise.

mudguard

2113 posts

Uber Geek

#1783235 16-May-2017 16:05

trig42: I wish there was a signal for the eejits with a European car that think it is cool to drive with their fog lamps on and don't realise there car has a really bright rear fog lamp shining in everyones eyes that has to follow them

There is. High Beam and leave it on.
As for no lights, I had a nearish miss not long ago after twilight where I was in the left lane of the motorway, indicated to change into the right lane, looked over my shoulder and there was a car with no lights on in my blind spot. I hadn't seen them approach.

Journeyman

1186 posts

Uber Geek

#1783236 16-May-2017 16:05

I see people driving at night with no lights on all the bloody time. I seem them in the 'burbs. I see them on the motorway. I can't understand how it is that people don't notice the lack of a pool of light in front of the car that you would normally expect at night.

I usually flash my lights at them. Full beams. Not to be a dick, just to get their attention. I've tried the ol' off-on but that has about the same effect as flashing - that is to say, people are completely oblivious to what is going on. I've only ever had success maybe a couple of times.

People who get flashed and automatically think "what's that guy's problem?" strike me as being a bit too defensive. They're making the quick assumption that they couldn't possibly be doing something wrong so it must be the fault of the guy flashing his lights at people for no reason.

plod

272 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1783240 16-May-2017 16:11

This seems to be all to common in newer cars where the dash lights are always on. It has caught me out a couple of time in the wife's car

ratsun81

508 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1783263 16-May-2017 16:50

TimA:

trig42:

I wish there was a signal for the eejits with a European car that think it is cool to drive with their fog lamps on and don't realise there car has a really bright rear fog lamp shining in everyones eyes that has to follow them.

I wired up my rear foglamps so they are on both sides on the beema. Independent of the front lamps so i can roll around with steeze cause my front foglamps are on.

But, My rears are on a switch and i can toggle them, flash them etc, When its dark its hard for them not to be blinding. Seems to work well..

Yeah you really shouldnt be rolling round with your rear fog lamps on blinding people. But for getting attention to no lights on it might be effective

From the road code:

Dip your headlamps in fog

If you drive with your lamps on full beam in fog, the light will just reflect back on you. Dip your lights – it will be much easier to see.

Don't just turn your park lights on. They are hard for oncoming drivers to see and do little to improve your vision.

You can use front fog lights when driving in fog. These have a wide, low beam and produce either a white or yellow light.

Rear fog lights, which produce a high-intensity red light, should only be used when visibility is very bad. (In normal conditions they can dazzle drivers following you.)

Fog lights should be switched off as driving conditions improve.

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