Surely, you’ll agree with me that “heavy fog” and “rain” are inevitable weather conditions in the central and eastern portions of the US, as well as many other regions across the world. Sadly, these weather conditions can always make driving very difficult or even impossible, depending on how heavy they come. Furthermore, if your car doesn’t have proper lighting equipment, such as fog lights, driving inside heavy fog can always result in hazardous situations.
Fog lights are usually placed in the rear and front of a car, right below the headlight assembly. They are automotive lights that help drivers to see clearly in front of the vehicle, especially during harsh weather conditions. In the absence of fog lights, you can always install light bars on your vehicle.
What exactly are fog lights and when is it appropriate to use them? What if you don’t have fog lights on your car and it gets foggy? Can you use light bars in place of fog lights in foggy weather conditions? You’ll find answers to these questions and more as you read through the rest of this article.
What are fog lights and when is it appropriate to use them?
From the name “fog lights”, it’s easy to guess what the lighting equipment is used for. Yes, fog lights are designed specifically for drivers to use in foggy weather conditions. These lights often come in two different types; front fog lights and rear fog lights.
The front fog lights, used in many automobiles, are designed to help drivers see clearly in front of their vehicles. As earlier stated, these lights are usually placed right below the headlight assembly.
Here’s how the front fog lights work; they emit a wide beam of light. Usually, this often comes in the shape of a bar. That’s not all; the bar-like shape also comes with a sharp cutoff at its upper part. The purpose of that is to help prevent the beam of light from reflecting off of the fog.
On the other hand, rear fog lights are usually engineered to give red lights. The purpose of that is to enable drivers behind your vehicle to notice your car in foggy weather and other low-visibility conditions. In the US, rear fog lights aren’t mandatory. Even the front fog lights are usually considered auxiliary lights.
When are fog lights needed?
Unlike headlights, fog lights are only supplementary lights installed on vehicles. The best time to use them is when you find yourself in low-visibility conditions, such as fog, heavy rain, and dust storms.
In foggy weather conditions, headlights will only go straight into the fog and bounce back. This is usually not good enough, as it will make driving pretty difficult for the driver. However, by using fog lights in addition to the headlights, drivers can easily drive in the fog. The lights have low placement, and that’s what helps them to hit the ground underneath the fog.
In heavy rain, fog lights can also make you see better and avoid any hazardous situations. A dust storm is another good example of low visibility settings. In this type of condition, you can always make use of the lights from your fog lamp for better visibility.
What happens if you don’t have fog lights and it’s foggy?
According to a report by Car and Driver, fog lights (both rear and front) aren’t mandatory in the US as they are in Europe. They are mostly considered supplementary lights by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), according to a report by the New York Times.
In case you find yourself in heavy foggy weather conditions without fog lights, there is a way you can always stay safe. First, you need to switch off your hazard lights and have your low beam lights, such as light bars, on.
With your low beam lights on, all you need to do is drive slowly and avoid following any car too slowly. In addition to that, you need to also avoid any distractions and focus more on driving the car safely.
What are light bars and how do they work?
A car light bar is a type of bar that has several LED lights. It is engineered on vehicles to help illuminate in front or behind your car while driving.
Furthermore, LED light bars often come with several different amazing features and are available in different types, depending on their sizes.
For instance, there are Mini Light Bars, which are often considered supplementary to other lights on vehicles. Furthermore, mini light bars usually come with about 8 to 10 LED lights.
Another type of light bar in cars is the Low-Profile Light Bars. The lights, usually below 20 inches in length, are very common and often come installed to the grille of vehicles. This way, they get to provide some extra forward-facing lighting for the car.
The Off-Road Light Bars are another type of LED light bars out there. Unlike the low-profile lights, these light bars usually come with above 20 inches lengths. That’s not all; they also come installed at any point on the car where enough lights are required.
Are Light Bars good for fog?
There’s no denying that fog lights are the best type of lighting equipment to use during low-visibility weather conditions, such as fog and heavy rain. But is it possible to make use of light bars in foggy weather conditions, especially when there are no fog lights?
Of course, you can always make use of LED light bars in foggy conditions. However, while doing that, ensure that the light bars you’re using are low beam lights.
Bottom line: you can always make use of low beam light bars in foggy weather conditions or when you find yourself in other low-visibility situations.