When to Use (and Do You Need) Fog Lights?
Fog lights are a second set of lights at the front and rear of a vehicle designed for use in poor visibility conditions. The density of fog varies depending on weather conditions. Very dense fog can reduce visibility to just a few meters in front of the car, making the entire drive dangerous.
The purpose of front fog lights is to improve the driver’s forward visibility. Rear fog lights are designed to help the driver see the car better to prevent rear-end collisions. In Europe, rear fog lights are mandatory for all vehicles.
When to Use Fog Lights
Regulations on when and how to use fog lights vary from state to state. Here are some general guidelines for when you should use fog lights:
In poor visibility conditions, fog lights should be used in conjunction with regular headlights. In other words, don’t use fog lights instead of regular headlights, use both at the same time. Fog lights should have low and wide beams that are lower than other drivers’ eye level.
What if you can’t see anything at night? If you have trouble seeing at night even with your headlights and fog lights, try cleaning the inside of your windshield. Even if your car is new and you never touch the windshield, the inside of the windshield will fog up.
When your windshield fogs up, it becomes very difficult to see at night because of the glare. When looking through a dirty windshield, the headlights of other vehicles appear much brighter. Even street lights can block your view if your windows are too dirty.
The headlights themselves can also become cloudy or foggy, severely reducing visibility. Luckily, it’s possible to restore your headlights to looking and functioning almost like new. Wilson Auto Detailing has a great instructional video: Also make sure there is no excessive condensation or water buildup inside the headlight housing. Again, this will reduce visibility until you remove the moisture and prevent it from recurring.
When Not to Use Fog Lights
Do not use fog lights in place of your regular headlights. Fog lights are designed to produce a short, wide beam of light in front of your vehicle.
The beam of light emitted by fog lights does not reach far enough ahead for safe driving at night. In many places, it’s illegal to drive with only the fog lights on.
Fog Light Icon
The fog light icon is similar to the headlight icon. Instead of showing low or high beam, the fog light symbol shows light passing through vertical waves, which symbolize fog.
For front fog lights, the light beam runs downward through a vertical axis. With rear fog lights, the light beam appears straight. Do all cars have fog lights?No, not all cars have fog lights. Many automakers now offer them as standard equipment, but some have forgone them for cost reasons, design considerations, or because advances in headlight technology have reduced the need for separate fog lights.
Are Yellow Fog Lights Legal?
You’ll need to check your local laws, but yellow or orange fog lights are legal in most parts of the United States. The yellow tint is said to penetrate fog slightly better than other wavelengths of light. Yellow light is also good for night vision. Can you drive without fog lights when it’s foggy? If you live in the United States, you can drive perfectly well without fog lights, day or night. Many factory-installed fog lights don’t provide any additional lighting, so you might not even notice the difference without them.
Don’t let fog lights be the deciding factor when choosing between two cars. While having bright rear fog lights is a good idea, most vehicles sold in the United States don’t even offer the option of proper European-style rear fog lights. Driving with LED Headlights
LED headlights these days are so good that even fog can get through them with relative ease. An added benefit of factory-fitted LED headlights is that you don’t have to worry about dazzling other drivers if your headlights are adjusted correctly. LED headlights have received some negative reviews because many drivers don’t adjust them properly.
If your low-beam headlights hit the rear window of the car in front of you, then you’re aiming them too high. Another telltale sign is when other drivers start flashing their high beams at you when passing.
If you have LED headlights, it’s especially important to properly adjust your headlights. Out-of-adjustment headlights can blind other drivers, putting drivers at risk for traffic tickets and other more serious consequences.
Proper techniques for measuring and adjusting your headlights can often be found in your owner’s manual. Some headlights are self-leveling, but you should still double-check the beam pattern to be safe.
How Do I Add Fog Lights?
If you want to add fog lights to your vehicle, you have a couple of options. Many vehicles came from the factory with fog lights as an option. For everything else, there’s aftermarket fog lights, a popular car modification.
In many cases, the wiring is present and you just need to add a button to the dash, change the fog light housings, buy the fog lights, and plug them in.
When deciding whether to go with OEM vs aftermarket fog lights, check reviews on forums from drivers who bought a model the OEM fog light option. If they are happy with the light output, many times the OEM route is a better way to go, particularly if you can purchase it second hand.
If you see lukewarm reviews on the OEM fog light options, you may have to retrofit a set of aftermarket fog lights. The sky is the limit with aftermarket fog lights, and you can spec anything from LED fog lights to full on rally-style light bars on the front of your vehicle.