pipeline fuel cardQuestions and answers from the MSE forum - "Pipeline facts and fiction Thank you to all of you who have...
I was driving in the very early hours of Sunday morning along the M25 (Surrey section) in fog which went from thin to quite thick in patches, doing what I always do which is to put my rear fog lights on when there is nothing, or something a long way off, visible behind me, and then to turn them off once the vehicle has approached close enough to see me clearly without them, to avoid blinding them or, as you mention, the brake light confusion.
At one point I noticed a car approaching behind so turned the lights off, and was then pbutted by it: a Volvo S-something-large-and-recent with its fog lights on - very bright indeed. As I had to pull out behind it, and it didn't turn its fog lights off, and they really were blinding me, I flashed him a couple of times, then put my full beam on for a few seconds, to indicate in the best way I could that I was there, behind him, and he was blinding me.
After a time he slowed (or I speeded up: I was in an underpowered Transit van) and I overtook him. As soon as I was pbutted him I turned the fog lights off. Next thing I know, I'm being flashed by him, and I think, "oh I see, getting your own back" so I did my best to ignore him... until I spotted the blue strobes in amongst his flashes. I should point out that I only have door mirrors, so only saw one of his headlights flashing; they were probably alternating but I couldn't see that, and nor could I see the blue strobes in his radiator grill until he pulled out slightly.
"Hello, officer, can I help you?" etc etc. He asked me why I had flashed him and put my beam on full, and so I told him. Basically, we had an argument, with me telling him how very, very annoying it is to be blinded by fog lights on cars right in front of me, and the danger of missing brake lights coming on ("But they're a separate light in the cluster, you'll always see them."), and him maintaining that by not putting my fog lights on *all the time* once the FOG matrix signals were light, I was committing an offence.
Motorway DriversNo, it's believing that you know what's about to happen before it does. I've yet to have to make a major motorway swerve. I've hard-pulled into...
Higher Performance Bulbsheadlights Why should other drivers or road users give a toss? They are correctly adjusted, and do not dazzle when dipped. I...
We were really getting nowhere so I just ended up with a "Yes officer, no officer, thank you officer" and fortunately he decided not to take it any further, although I might have relished my day in court, arguing that my behaviour was reasonable and courteous, and the officer's line was black & white and took no account of circumstances.
Hamish
