Fog Lights II: When a safety feature becomes a safety hazard

Wednesday, March 1, 2006

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The reader asked about the legality of using both sets of lights. Police said it is legal, so long as they are mounted at the proper height — not less than 12 inches and not more than 30 inches above the ground from where a vehicle stands. And the fog light may not project a distance of more than 25 feet.

Following that column, readers had their own thoughts on the use of fog lights.

Q: You missed an opportunity to educate readers on Feb. 8.

Fog lights are meant to be used by themselves, to light the road ahead and alert oncoming traffic in conditions where headlamps create a blinding haze.

There is no justification for driving with both sets of lights on — and in fact defeats the purpose of fog lights if fog is present.

Mary C. Combs, Gaithersburg

Q: In reference to your article of Feb. 8, regarding fog lights, I do not feel that you addressed Mr. Rhoderick’s question. Mr. Rhoderick, like myself, does not feel these fog lights need to be on for driving unless conditions call for their use. There is a switch control that can be turned on at the appropriate time.

In general, with four front headlamps illuminated during night driving, you are supposed to dim your bright lights to low beam when you approach an oncoming vehicle. In the 1990s, cars started showing up with factory-installed fog lights and the trend continues.

Too many working headlamps can become a hazard. I am referring to the new generation of lamps, factory installed, that are mounted in the lower bumper panel or in the grille area. Some drivers have even changed the bulbs to green, yellow or blue spot type halogens, which is illegal.

These lights can cause a double image for other drivers who must wear bifocals. Have you noticed during daylight hours how many cars have these lights on.

Too many drivers think they ‘‘look cool” by having these type of lights on. An answer to this, one may have to be in the state legislature, with a new law prohibiting use of fog lights in clear conditions.

Stanford H. Herrmann, Silver Spring

A: I went back to police to clarify some points. The lights many people may be referring to are coming with newer cars. The new lights — also considered front lamps, front clearance lamps, identification lamps and marker lamps — and they must, according to Maryland law, be an amber color — white or yellow.

Sometimes these factory-installed lights are so bright because of the halogen bulbs used that they appear to have a bluish tint. If someone actually replaced bulbs with colored bulbs, they could be cited by police.

The colored lights you may see on the underside of cars are illegal.

As for changing the law, people can write to their state legislator (go to mlis.state.md.us to find your legislator and how to reach him⁄her), but with the session set to wrap up on April 10, you might have to wait until next year.

Q: I have a question about drivers who drive in such a way as to put one, two or even three or more car lengths between themselves and the car in front of them while in traffic. I call them ‘‘space hoarders.”

Some ‘‘space hoarders” consistently hoard extra car lengths ahead of them. Others ‘‘space hoard” for a while, then catch up with the flow of traffic, then drop back and ‘‘space hoard” again.

What exactly are ‘‘space hoarders” trying to do? What logic makes them believe it’s OK or safe for them to drive erratically in order to create excessive space in front of their car? The practice is becoming very prevalent — and I don’t want to think this many people are suffering from poor depth perception. Don’t ‘‘space hoarders” realize that in addition to following traffic laws, their goal should be to drive reasonably and prudently without disrupting the normal flow of traffic?

D. Jones, Olney

Q: In the past year, I have seen more and more people leaving an empty space several yards long between them and the vehicle in front of them when stopped at a red light.

I still fail to see the rationale behind this behavior, which is aggravating when you are behind them and...they are the last one to get the green light.

Do you have any idea why some people are doing that? Do you have any information from the police?

J-L Belard, Rockville

A: Numerous people have written to Bumper to Bumper in the past about this issue, so I asked Montgomery County Police for some thoughts on the issue.

When it comes to safe driving, one of the prevailing thoughts on the issue, is to allow one car length for every 10 miles per hour you are traveling. So if you are, hypothetically, obeying the speed limit on the Beltway or much of Great Seneca Highway or even parts of Georgia Avenue, you would have to allow for five to six car lengths between you and the car on front of you.

If, however, you are in Bumper to Bumper (shameless plug) traffic, then allowing for extra space is not really disrupting the flow of traffic because traffic is at a standstill.

Some have said that people who are right up to the bumper of the driver in front of them are just in too much of a hurry to go nowhere. I think the people leaving the space are always looking for the out to change lanes and need that additional space.

Either way, you probably just have to chalk it up to driving in an extremely congested area.

Q: You have printed questions and comments about the

Middlebrook and Waring Station roads intersection in the past. You have addressed the question (www.gazette.net⁄gazette_archive⁄2004⁄200449⁄montgomerycty⁄county⁄247824-1.html) with the technically correct answer, but you miss the reasoning for the danger. Westbound Middlebrook Road has a left-turn arrow onto Waring Station Road at the same time a car making a right turn onto eastbound Middlebrook Road has an arrow.

Many times, especially during morning rush hour, there can be a long line of cars waiting to turn left off westbound Middlebrook Road to the ramp onto Interstate 270 south. Cars will often drive to the Waring Station Road intersection and make a U-turn to head back to I-270.

As that is the primary cause for the large number of U-turns, it would make sense that U-turns are not allowed during morning rush hour, say 6:30-9:30 a.m.

Jay Horman, Germantown

A: In the past officials have said the intersection is working properly — that people making U-turns from Middlebrook Road should be aware that motorists turning right from Waring Station Road have a green arrow at the same time.

Progress is now being made with your suggestion.

Officials with the county’s Department of Public Works and Transportation said they will evaluate the intersection and advise Bumper to Bumper about how to resolve any issues.

Stay tuned.

Q: I am writing to see what might be done about the timing of the traffic signal on University Boulevard at Valley View Avenue near Wheaton Shopping Town (Wheaton Plaza). When heading west along University Boulevard from Veirs Mill Road toward Kensington, the signal at Valley View always turns red before you get there. Apparently the light is not timed correctly to allow traffic to keep moving on University since there is such a short distance between the two lights and intersections.

Traffic coming out of Wheaton Plaza could come out anytime, so the light timing makes no sense.

Can you look into this?

Richard Stevenson, Kensington

A: Officials with the county’s Department of Public Works and Transportation said they will investigate the operation of the signal and make any adjustments needed.

In closing: If you feel like you haven’t had enough of a chance to give your opinion on the ICC, no worries, the public comment period has been extended to March 23.

You can look at the Final Environmental Impact Statement online at www.iccstudy.org.

Bumper to Bumper, a biweekly column dedicated to answering your questions related to transportation issues, is compiled and written by Staff Writer JoAnn Grbach. For past columns, log on to www.gazette.net⁄specialfeatures⁄bumper.html.