A bright idea

[R650R]

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13264235/Ministers-launch-review-drivers-dazzled-headlights-survey-reveals-nearly-nine-ten-think-bright.html

[Gremlin]

Lets start with those driving with no lights, park lights and DRLs, get them using low beam. Move onto the wankers that are driving around on high beam, either not caring or having no idea...

[SaferRides]

And rear fog lights on at night.

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[jim.cox]

And while you are at it, them cyclists with the over-bright flashing LED front lights

[BMWST?]

I second the motion re rear fog lights. These people ussually have the front fog lights on as well,whilt not as bad as LED or HID still add lumen to the already bright lights at the front

[R650R]

Actually fog lights full stop. We’re not allowed to drive fast enough in nz to really need them. They really for high speed European motorways plagued by fog.

If visibility is that bad of your normal headlamps in fog your prob out driving your stopping distance anyway.

Really they are just a fashion accessory.
And yes we need to get rid of cyclist flashing strobe lights annoying as hell. I’m just waiting for population growth to get to the point where they regularly trigger an oncoming epilepsy fit in a driver who promptly crashes into them, Darwin fixes everything.

[nerrrd]

My bike came with a set of PIAA fog lamps, I think I've used them intentionally maybe twice? Once when I was returning home at night and discovered my headlight was out, maybe once more with some fog?

By some fluke of electrical weirdness though the switch on the handlebars has a green LED when off, a red one when on, which confuses me so sometimes I accidentally nudge the switch and don't realise they're on for a bit.

I added some DRLs on the handlebars as well, the bullet-type ones, they are bright and I try to remember to turn them off at night...but don't always. So overall, sorry if I've dazzled anyone accidentally.

[onearmedbandit]

And rear fog lights on at night.

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When I was selling cars (over 20yrs) I'd confidently state that less than 10% of buyers/owners knew what button on the Euro they were driving controlled the rear fog light. I made sure to educate each and every one of them.

[R650R]

When I was selling cars (over 20yrs) I'd confidently state that less than 10% of buyers/owners knew what button on the Euro they were driving controlled the rear fog light. I made sure to educate each and every one of them.

I hereby nominate you a Nobel prize for your contribution to society. Few people realise that rear fog light especially in rain make it hard for someone doing a 13hr mission to notice their brake lights when it matters.
You very well could have saved someone’s life.

[rastuscat]

Not a bike thing, more a moan about a car thing.

When headlights in newer cars are set to auto, the daylight sensor in the car takes charge of the lights.

During the day, even if fog is as thick as a former prime minister I hesitate to name, the daylight sensor prevents the lights from coming on, as there enough light to fool the sensor.

It's a light sensor, not a visibility sensor.

Which partially explains the marital discord I suffer when trying to get my wife to not reply on auto headlights in her car.

[roogazza]

Out for a ride this morning heading onto the Pahiatua Track, a 4x4 was putting his right turn blinker on and off !!!!!! Is that a thing now ???? (it wasn't just his blinker left on either.)

It was obviously a warning for me as no one else was around....

Sure enough half a K further on , there was a Police wagon, maybe a Skoda parked up !
heh heh and he gave me a wave ! nice, obviously a bike fan, and I waved back.. lol

Thru that bit I'm usually starting to get the old knee out....... Lucky me. :lol: :clap:

[jellywrestler]

Which partially explains the marital discord I suffer when trying to get my wife to not reply on auto headlights in her car.

sign her up for KB, she won't even know it's you with these comments and suddenly think it's someone elses idea, and a good one at that, better than your own idea, thats how marraige works i'm told.

[Laava]

Marriage works?

[Gremlin]

Not a bike thing, more a moan about a car thing.

When headlights in newer cars are set to auto, the daylight sensor in the car takes charge of the lights.

During the day, even if fog is as thick as a former prime minister I hesitate to name, the daylight sensor prevents the lights from coming on, as there enough light to fool the sensor.
One irritating thing about the company car, you can't turn the fogs on unless the lights on are, ie, not DRL.

[jellywrestler]

Marriage works?

Dunno actually, I haven't made the same mistake once as yet.

[Moi]

One irritating thing about the company car, you can't turn the fogs on unless the lights on are, ie, not DRL.

Not asking Gremlin, just an observation...

In the past, like last millennium, owned a Sigma with OEM foglights that were part of the headlight assembly. With that car you had two options: headlights and parking/side lights OR foglights and parking/side lights. The car was wired that way and when either were on the tail lights were on too - no rear foglight fitted.

To get a WoF then it was either headlights or foglights - not both at the same time.

So, have NZTA changed the regs on headlights/foglights so you can have both on? [bit pointless when headlights reflect back off the fog particles - try driving in fog at night]. Or are WoF checks not done on lighting properly? Or has the vehicle not got a WoF?


Also, the number of vehicles with lights that are not white facing to the front or not red facing to the rear [not commenting on orange indicator lights or reversing lights].

[neels]

So, have NZTA changed the regs on headlights/foglights so you can have both on? [bit pointless when headlights reflect back off the fog particles - try driving in fog at night]. Or are WoF checks not done on lighting properly? Or has the vehicle not got a WoF?

The rules around that seem to have varied over the years. At one point I had a ford fairmont with factory fitted and wired fog/driving lamps, which I had to rewire I think 3 times to satisfy the changing WOF requirements in the time I had the car.

I think now they work mostly on the basis that they're ok if that's how they were fitted at the factory, because there are so many variables, I did have to adjust a fog light recently to point it the right way so there are obviously still some rules.

Something new to me a recently was that it was ok to disconnect a fog light with a discoloured reflector, previously experience had been that if it was there it had to work, ended up having to fix it anyway as the car kept getting angry and telling me the lamps had failed...

It would be nice if the lady with the estima van who lives near me didn't feel the need to drive with the low beam, high beam and fog lights all on......

[Gremlin]

So, have NZTA changed the regs on headlights/foglights so you can have both on? [bit pointless when headlights reflect back off the fog particles - try driving in fog at night]. Or are WoF checks not done on lighting properly? Or has the vehicle not got a WoF?


I think now they work mostly on the basis that they're ok if that's how they were fitted at the factory, because there are so many variables, I did have to adjust a fog light recently to point it the right way so there are obviously still some rules.
It's pretty much this at a high level. If it's OEM, the manufacturer has had to satisfy multiple sets of regulations around the world, and we're far too small to be trying to throw our weight around with special regs. You'll see it multiple clauses that if it's OEM, then it's OK. There are still performance requirements, ie, around headlights that they throw to the left, not right, not too high, but this is all adjustable (and can get out of adjustment). You only start running into issues if you change from OEM, as then... well, it's not OEM, and the usual regs are in effect.

The only time I've seen it not work, and I tried to go as far as calling NZTA, that motorcycles were not fitted with park lamps according to the VIRM, therefore couldn't have them. My owners manual specifically mentioned operation of the park lamp, but VTNZ and NZTA declared it as a forward facing position lamp (limit 2), which technically didn't actually meet the intent. Anyway, I'd fitted two additional forward facing position lamps, and was now out of compliance, as they counted 3.

In the end, the NZTA call went nowhere. I told them it had a park lamp, they said it didn't, I told them forward facing position lamps stated a demonstration of the outline of the vehicle, in the centre didn't work... but they either didn't really care, or didn't understand. It was like talking to a brick wall that wouldn't forward me to a manager. No idea if those specifics changed, I had to change otherwise it was a hassle every year.