The one road rule Aussies are getting wrong
When it comes to your car lights, you have a few options: regular headlights, high beams, fog lights and your daytime running lights.
Most drivers have mixed them up at some point, but the simple mistake could end up costing hundreds of dollars.
As fog lights are mounted low on the vehicle and angled steeper than normal headlights, they emit a flat horizontal beam that reduces the amount of light reflecting back off the fog allowing for better visibility in misty conditions.
If these lights are switched on under normal driving conditions they can be a hazard to other drivers as the lights can temporarily blind other motorists.
The Centre for Road Safety website states that under normal conditions fog lights may “dazzle” other drivers.
“In NSW a driver is only permitted to use fog lights if driving in fog, mist or other atmospheric conditions that restrict visibility,” a NSW Transport spokesperson told news.com.au.
“It is important to only use fog lights in the appropriate conditions as in normal day-to-day driving they have the potential to dazzle other drivers.”
Habing fog lights on during normal conditions can also lead to rear-end accidents as other drivers might mistake the bright red rear fog lights for brake lights.
Every state in Australia has laws prohibiting the use of fog lights other than in the conditions they were made for.
- NSW - $110 fine and two demerit points
- Western Australia – $100 fine and one demerit point
- Queensland –$50 fine and one demerit point
- Victoria – $159 fine.
- South Australia – $233.
- Tasmania – $119 fine
How to tell if your fog lights are on
The fog light symbol is similar to the headlight one, but it has a squiggly line through the lines.
When the light is green, that means the front fog lights are on and when it is orange it is indicating that the rear lights are on.
The same symbol is on your indicator and if there is an arrow pointing next to it then the lights are on. Move the arrow to the “OFF” position to turn it off.