I need to have a rant....

[sandar]

...It snowed quite heavily overnight in the area where I live in the UK. We have got off quite lightly compared to some other parts of the UK during the past week, but last night we had about 5". The amount of snow is not the issue, the issue is the idiots who cannot be bothered to clear the snow of their cars.

I have just returned from taking my wife to the railway station (she works in central London about 70 miles away).

Driving to and from the station we saw loads of cars with snow covering their lights, both front and rear (it is still quite dark here at 07:00 hrs.). Why on earth can't people brush a bit of snow of the windows and lights before setting off, it only takes a few seconds?

There were many car drivers who hadn't cleared the snow from their car windows either. I saw one woman (yes it was a blonde!) who had only cleared what can only be described as a peep hole so she could 'see' out, the side and rear windows were completely covered with snow. How could I see her, I hear you all ask? I was following her and watched the silly b*gger run off the road because she couldn't see where she was going. I helped her by telling to clear her windows so she could see what was going on around her and where the road went. In fairness to her, she didn't know I can't walk (a broken back caused that little impediment), but she got quite stroppy and abusive when I didn't get out of my car and give her a push.

And yes, I did clear my lights before leaving home despite the car being in a car port overnight.


That's my rant over..............for now anyway

 

[Quixoticish]

I couldn't agree with you more. The problem is never with the snow but with the idiots who don't drive to the conditions, cause accidents, and slow the traffic down to a crawl. I'm getting utterly sick of people telling me that they "drive better" or are "perfectly safe" to plough along at 70 as they would on a regular day in blizzard conditions.

Sadly the vast majority of people don't leave proper stopping distances, drive at safe speeds, understand how to drive their vehicles properly and have respect for their fellow road users on normal days, so it's easy to understand why there are a stupid amount of crashes when the weather is bad.

 

[Snuffy]

Use to see the same thing here in the states, (at least the states that I've lived in that got snow ...) I think its more an indicator of a person's laziness than anything else.

Their "I gotta get where I'm going ..." and their "Me first" attitudes don't have time for safety.

 

[jmig]

Snip....
Their "I gotta get where I'm going ..." and their "Me first" attitudes don't have time for safety.

That kind of driving is pervasive these days.

People cutting in and out of traffic. Truckdrivers that will pull out in front of you and proceed to pass another truck at 1/2 mph overtake for the next two miles, etc, I've seen it all.

 

[Blackbird686]

Their "I gotta get where I'm going ..." and their "Me first" attitudes don't have time for safety.

Snuffy -- You hit the nail on the head there, mate.

I see alot of this kind of thing in Colorado, folks driving "IFR" so to speak.
The only positive thing is that usually, people who do this usually wind up being ticketed by the police.

BB686:USA-flag:

 

[Trans_23]

We are suppose to get 6-10 inches of snow around Chicagoland tonight and into tomorrow. I am taking the train. It's that or sit in traffic for hours both ways. :isadizzy:

 

[Henry]

if it snows here i will not drive in it
i can drive fine its the other idiots that bother me
one of my pet peaves is driving in rain
and see a lot of cars with no lights
you dont need your lights to see
but it shows others where you are
actually i believe it a law if your windshield wipers are on
so should your lights
H

 

[Snuffy]

... i believe it a law if your windshield wipers are on
so should your lights
H

This is a state law in FLA ... but you'd never know it to see the number of idiots here that don't live by that law.

I tend to be the other way around, if the truck is running the lights are on the whole time, day, night, rain, or shine.

 

[srgalahad]

This is a state law in FLA ... but you'd never know it to see the number of idiots here that don't live by that law.

I tend to be the other way around, if the truck is running the lights are on the whole time, day, night, rain, or shine.

Daytime Running Lights...
Laws in Canada, Denmark, Finland, Hungary, Iceland, Norway and Sweden require vehicles to operate with their lights on during the daytime. Some laws require all vehicles to be equipped with DRLs. Others simply mandate that drivers turn their lights on at all times.

Oddly there is an organization that fights this :isadizzy:
http://www.lightsout.org/index.html

Whether they see it as an affront to their freedom or because it may be operated by people who don't want to maintain their vehicles remains to be seen...
The only dumb thing is that, in Canada at least, as a sop to the manufacturers they don't require that taillights be tied to the system.. so some terror-stricken clown doing 10MPH in a snowfall is invisible until he fills your windshield. You'd think that the way people want laws to eliminate the need to think, they'd welcome a law that takes away the need to flip a switch.

As for the rest, heaven forbid that we should require proper, comprehensive drivers tests or mandatory retesting to see what other bad habits have crept in.

Rob

 

[Mobayrasta]

We recently had a huge snow storm here in the North East US. I was driving behind a mini van who had cleared all the snow off of his windows but had not taken any of the 12 inches of snow off the roof of his van. Long story short at about 60 miles per hour it all came off at one time and the majority of it landed smack on the front of my car. How I did not wreck while making my way to the side of the road was just luck. I swear if I could have chased then down I probably would have gone to jail. I SO wanted to kick their butts.

 

[lefty]

What they also don't realise is that after a few miles, when their own vehicle warms up, all it needs is a bit of sharp braking to render them completely blind when the whole lot ends up over their windscreen. Believe me, wipers don't shift it !

Re lights, I agree everything that has been said, with one proviso. It is the fashion here for the boyracers to drive around all the time with fog lights on, regardless of the conditions. Most of these schmucks don't even know this is actually illegal, because those things are mounted so low they blind other drivers.......

 

[CH_OldZeke]

This was 1 week before christmas.

 

[Henry]

It is the fashion here for the boyracers to drive around all the time with fog lights on, regardless of the conditions. Most of these schmucks don't even know this is actually illegal, because those things are mounted so low they blind other drivers.......

i have fog lights on my car i have never used them
but i did not know they blinded other drivers
thanks for that tip
i also do not have running lights
so i just use lights
and the rear lights are important
i ran into a big problem over Christmas
i was driving in the Ozarks blinding sleet
and the mountain roads are real windy they wind uphill and down
and visibility is not good but i could not use my brights
because of blinding other oncoming drivers
i was glad when i got to my destination
even my wife put her seat belt on
H

 

[Odie]

When I lived in the Dallas TX area, I was always amazed at how people handled the icy roads. Dallas rarely gets snow, it's mostly ice and usually it's a thick enough layer to ice over the roads. And unless there was a little snow or frost mixed in with it, it quickly became "black ice", which is nasty because you don't have a clue that you're on it until the vehicle tries to move and you're suddenly sliding!

But, you'd still see people trying to drive 60mph like they were on dry streets. I'd just move to the far side of the road and let them pass....

 

[jmig]

snip...
Re lights, I agree everything that has been said, with one proviso. It is the fashion here for the boyracers to drive around all the time with fog lights on, regardless of the conditions. Most of these schmucks don't even know this is actually illegal, because those things are mounted so low they blind other drivers.......

Lefty, I don't know what you mean by "fog" lights? But here in the states they are mounted low to the ground. The projected light stays low and doesn't get reflected by into the driver's face by the fog/snow. The reason high beams blind you is that they are projected higher in order to reach further.

I don't think fog lights will blind oncoming drivers?

 

[Henry]

Lefty, I don't know what you mean by "fog" lights? But here in the states they are mounted low to the ground. The projected light stays low and doesn't get reflected by into the driver's face by the fog/snow. The reason high beams blind you is that they are projected higher in order to reach further.

I don't think fog lights will blind oncoming drivers?

i will have to turn mine on and have a look
mine are low to the ground
H

 

[Snuffy]

Lets make sure you guys are talking apples to apples here ...

There are such things as "driving lights" (different from your normal headlights and very similar to "fog" lights.)

Driving lights are also supposed to be mounted low ... their intent is to provide higher brightness for visibility as well as width and distance. The proviso here is that you can use your normal headlights with driving lights as an aide.

"Fog" lights are also some what brighter than your stock running lights but their being mounted low is intended to circumvent the glare a driver normally gets from his stock headlights proper use of fog lights recommend that you turn your normal headlights off and use the lower mounted beams to reduce glare.

If its a fanboy craze happening in Scotland, my bet is that the lights in question are driving lights, which are much brighter than normal headlights and can be blinding.

For the record, fog lights can blind too.

 

[Dain Arns]

And...

Most folks that add their own fog/driving lamps are often unaware that they are required by most states to be turned off when using the high beams.
Some states you are only permitted to have two additional lamps along with the low beams. Any other lamps, as say for off-road use, must be covered.

 

[Henry]

now in totally confused :isadizzy:
my fog lamps will only come on when my main lights are on
i do not have driving lights
as most of my driving is in the city
or interstate i never need to use high beams
i guess i will have to try my foglamps
and see if i get a ticket or a finger or shot
H

 

[n4gix]

I throughly detest the "bright blue halogen" lights that're common on new cars. They are blinding even when on "low-beam" setting!