Can't Understand These Drivers In The Snow.

[needawin]

Watching news this morning about the unfortunate motorists trapped overnight in the snow.
As a HGV driver there is something I will never understand. Always when trapped motorists are shown on tv most have their headlights on. Surely the most important thing in this situation is to save your battery for when you need to move again.
Also there was a newscaster on a bridge over the motorway in the middle of a blizzard this morning. I counted 27 cars pass under the bridge. Not one car had lights on!
Common sense would tell you that is high risk driving. You need to be seen!

[bhg481]

I think part of the problem is automatic headlights; they know when it's dark but they don't know when it's foggy or snowing. Motorists think their lights look after themselves - they don't.

[Prudie]

Needawin, I thought just the same, especially the loads of people trapped for hours and overnight on Bodmin Moor. It's not like it wasn't forecast and that kind of area is notorious when it's snowing. I just don't understand why they made the journey, the snow that fell in Dorset yesterday started within 15 minutes of the exact time it was forecast - and had been warned of for at least 24 hours.

[spathiphyllum]

It's mental.. I rove a fair distance today and through 50 zones and congestion zones people swerving in and out of lanes, in cold wet conditions to try and join the lane that appears to be flowing quickest at that precise second, then switchign again when the other lane moves... It's futile. If everyone stayed in lane and left room it'd all flow.

Don't get me started on middle laners...

You can't have any faith in anyone else on the road. Assume everyone is a total idiot.

[TonyV]

I always drive on headlights even in daytime

[TonyV]

I always do spath

[spathiphyllum]

best way Tony

[hc4361]

All newish cars have daytime running lights which cannot be switched off.

[retrocop]

It is illegal to drive in the UK in poor visibility,heavy rain, snow etc without dipped headlights on.

[TonyV]

Only pain for me is driving behind someone with rear fog lights on when they are not neaded

[retrocop]

Unless the Road Vehicle LightingnRegs have changed since I was a young Black Rat it had to be minimum of dipped main beam in adverse visibility. Side lights (Parking lights) and daylight running lights were not enough. I am not sure if rear lights are illuminated in anycase when front DLR lights are on.

[bookbinder]

I suspect that such thoughtless driving comes from a "it'll never happen to me. After all, I know what I'm doing" attitude. And I call them "bulletproof" drivers, because that seems to be how they see themselves.

[bhg481]

I don't know of any cars whose tail lights come on with the DLRs.

The fog lights on my Volvo (and my previous one) go off when either the lights or ignition are turned off and have to be turned on again if you restart your foggy journey. Why can't all cars work this way; it's not uncommon to see fog lights on days after it's been foggy.