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GM7HUD > TECHNI 16.08.04 00:12l 56 Lines 2879 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
BID : 951535GM7HUD
Read: GUEST OE7FMI
Subj: Re: Re^2: Car Battery Confusion.
Path: DB0FHN<DB0RGB<OK0PPL<DB0RES<ON0AR<ZL2BAU<VK6HGR<GB7YFS<GB7MAX<GB7ESX
Sent: 040815/1830z @:GB7ESX.#31.GBR.EU #:74387 $:951535GM7HUD [Witham, Esx]NNA
Quoting both Barry VK??? and David ZL3AI
>> I think they are extra bright red tail lights. I hired a car in the UK
>> once
>
> Thanks for the info, I guess people drive differently in the northern
The problem we have in the UK is population and traffic density.
The idea of the rear fog light or high intensity rear light is a good one.
Instead of the normal 5W bulb, these lights have 20W bulbs. So you can see
them at much greater distance.
They'd be ideal if you actually ever got the chance to have a "great
distance" between you and the car in front! But with traffic density as it
is you don't need a bright light as the car is normally just a few feet in
front of you. If you cant see them when that close you shouldn't be driving
as conditions are too bad :-)
What I find frightening is when the good weather returns (we do get good
weather in Scotland, we had some good weather in 2003 and I imagine in the
future we may get some more good weather, possibly in 2009!!!) people leave
the lights on. Some cars have poor warning lights to remind you that you
have the rear fog lights on, my Honda has a feeble glow-worm. But the rear
fogs have to be manually turned on every time you want them, the switch
isn't latching. Other cars have seriously unmissable warning lights that
glow on the dashboard. Well I can see them as I drive past cars which still
have their rear fog lights on, a shame the driver doesn't know what the
light means. That or they don't look at the instruments, which is possibly
more worrying!
The most common use of rear fog lights is now to amplify the signals given
to other road users with your headlamps. The accepted standard is to flash
at the car in front furiously with your full beam then when you overtake,
to pull in sharply and continue to flash the rear fog lights. The car being
flashed at normally reciprocates by flashing its headlamps and to complete
the exchange the car in front is allowed to stamp on the brakes causing the
car behind to be dazzled by all the brake lights, high level brake light
repeater and rear fog lights. To do it properly, you have to get the car
behind to brake or swerve. But if he hits you then you have lost and he has
won :-)
I followed a Merc 500SEC once for about 5 miles up a motorway with the Merc
turning off on the same off-ramp that I used. The driver, (a lady in her
fifties) had her rear fog lamps for no good reason. I tried flashing and
tootling melodiously on the horn but she was ignorant of any problems. When
we stopped at some traffic lights at the end of the off-ramp I shouted at
her that she had a her rear fog lights on and was dazzling other road
users. Her reply was priceless..."No I don't, this is a Mercedes young man,
and its lights are brighter and better than cheap cars like yours."
You cant win with daft old bats like that on the roads.
73 de Andy GM7HUD
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