The nights are drawing in and we have just had the first few misty mornings of the autumn. We have also had the usual crop of idiots who drive around in poor visibility with no lights on. Quite what goes through their empty heads, as they set off on the r

The nights are drawing in and we have just had the first few misty mornings of the autumn. We have also had the usual crop of idiots who drive around in poor visibility with no lights on.

Quite what goes through their empty heads, as they set off on the road hardly visible to other road users? Do they not notice the other drivers with their lights on? Are they worried about wearing their light bulbs out or increasing their fuel consumption or something stupid like that? Do they think there is some sort of shame attached to being the first to switch their lights on as it starts to get dark? They are obviously not worried about someone pulling out of a side road in front of them because they could not be seen appearing out of the murk!

Just as stupid are those who think, "It's only a little bit misty or a little bit dark so I will just put my sidelights on". If you think conditions require lights then use dipped headlights. Anyone who thinks sidelights or parking lights as they should more correctly be called are adequate should watch the cars coming towards them in the opposite direction. Which can be seen soonest and most clearly? The ones with their pathetic little parking lights on, or the ones with dipped headlights on? Some parking lights are so weak that you can hardly see whether they are on or not until the car is a few metres away - they might just as well not bother switching them on at all!

The main purpose of lights in poor visibility is to make YOU more visible to other road users. If it's getting difficult for you to see other vehicles, then they cannot see you either, unless you put your dipped headlights on.

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