BB FANS

Ok we have all seen them ,it pelting down with rain or what every ,or it's foggy ,or it's dusk and someone has decided to use their sidelights rather than their headlights.

Or the total idiot who hasn't even bothered with any lights !

Well I've wondered for a while just why cars have sidelights. I can't remember every using them. If the light level is poor I always use the Headlights. The sidelights do get checked mainly for the MOT.

So I had a look or rather a search on the Highway-code website and I've found two rules and only two rules where it tells you to use your sidelights.

225 - When parking on the road in fog it says to use Parking lights or Sidelights.

248 - If you break down and it's dark or visibility is poor it says in addition to your hazards to use your sidelights.

Where as rule 95 says that in dull daytime weather you should use your headlights.

There are plenty of examples everyday of drivers who do otherwise.
The worst idiots are the ones who drive without lights in fog. I don't know why there hasn't been accidents alone the back road I use everyday as you often ,when foggy/misty ,suddenly see a vehicle appear from the opposite direction out of the fog/mist with no lights!

Better stop there before I start again about seat-belts. All I will say is that if I got paid for the number of people who reach for the seat-belts when they see my Hi-Vis jacket I wouldn't need to work as long as I do now.

Interesting observation larry - Volvo came in for some examination in the 90s I think for their 'sidelights on' mechanism. I think driving with them on all day is a legal requirement in Sweden. Could be wrong, but I think that's the case.

he who is without sin, cast the first stone

The streets around here are full of crettins who save their bulbs by not switching any form of lights on.
The police had a purge in our estate last week and caught dozens, No Lights, No Seatbelts and Children NOT SECURED.
One of the police run out of fixed penalty notices it was so bad.

No doubt the local paper will have several complaint letters and out the lack of Christmas...sorry...Festive Spirit shown by the police

.......meanwhile druggies , robbers and other vermin went about their unlawful business, un bothered by the police

hippooo, you don't expect the 'Elite' to deal with people like that do you.....................traffic Police are specialists and don't deal with common crime

It's in the law over here that outside of the built-up areas drivers have to use their headlights, no matter if it's day or night. Trucks have 'sidelights' on their top and they use them like smaller cars use their 'extra lights' when it's for example dark and no traffic coming against them. I noticed that in Spain drivers use their sidelights (if you mean by that word an orange flash-lights or emergancy-lights and not those extralights or so called foglights that are used when it's dark or foggy or with long head-lights we use the word short-headlights as well) when there's something wrong ahead on the road to make a warning to the drivers behind them that they can slow down the speed early enough. Maybe someone could tell me what light do you mean - we have so many different words over here for different type of lights that are used ina car! But definately, it's much more safer to have your 'short headlights' on whilst driving any time of the day. I guess that you Cameron ment those lights - not sidelights as we understand it over here.

And JimD, over here there are traffic Police and other Polices to other crimes!

Well I have learnt something new. I didn't even know my car had sidelights. Where the hell is the button for those then?

On mine (Corsa), when I turn the lights on, I turn it once for sidelights, and twice for the headlights.
I can't say I've ever used my sidelights. I just stick on my headlights.

I'm still not 100% as to where my foglight switch is though!! Good job I've not had to drive in bad fog!
I always get my rear wipers mixed up with my main beams as well - I really should read the manaul!!

Typically a 'sidelight' is a small low power bulb attached to the headlamp separately from the headlamp bulb.

Another which the local Police got a few on last year was improper use of Fog lights. The published cases were on a foggy night but the fog was in pockets so the fog lights went on and were left on. At least two people got fined as a result.

You are supposed to turn the lights off as you come to the clearer sections and turn them back on when to find the denser patches again. All were on country roads and had encountered dense fog a few minutes before being stopped.

I guess it's easier to do with front fog lights as the switch in later cars should be easier to reach but the switches for the rear ones tend to be low down on the dash or in some cars so far away from the driver that either a passenger is required to operate them or you'd have to pull over to reach them.

We had according to the local radio a crackdown on illegal parking in the high street (esp parking on the Zig-Zags) ,and seat-belts. But nothing was every seen to be done. Cars continued to obstruct the main crossing and parking outside Tescos obstructing the high street.

The two crossing are bad enough with people not stopping. I've seen two incidents where children have nearly been hit by cars on the crossings. On the first as the kid was about to cross the car accelerated causing the kid to jump back. There was plenty of time for the car to see the kid and stop.
The second and the worst was while I was stopped letting a group cross when I was overtaken on the crossing !! A few seconds later and it would have hit one of the kids !!

We have a new cop shop on the bypass but it doesn't serve the town ,and that came from the community bobby. The only time I saw a beat patrol was after the county force got a bad report for not looking after the smaller towns. Then I saw a double crew on foot patrol on consecutive nights. But this has stopped again. so if you are very lucky you might see a car going through the town. Or when they are shopping in either Tesco or Sommerfields.
After that it's only when a bigger team is playing the local football team.
This must happen all over the country.