Prius V Owners: Do you use your foglights?

I use them when there is fog.

 

Talking of fog lights, has anyone else noticed that the HV battery goes down a wee bit quicker as does your mpg when you use them?

We had some foggy weather in winter time and I'm sure the main battery drops quicker with the fogs on that without. Now I know they don't draw that much current (forgive if this is incorrect term) but maybe more than I expected.

 

I leave them on all the time. Can never be too visible.

 

I did some googling and now i believe that they are illegal in only California, which is too bad for me because i'd like to use them as daytime running lights.

 

Really? I've never heard that. Link?

 

From Regulations for Front Fog Lights | eHow.com

Rick Russell owned a 1956 Jeep Wrangler on which he had installed fog lights on the front bumper. Driving in South Tahoe in 1995, a California Highway Patrol officer cited him for not having covers on his off-road lights. He had a hearing before the local magistrate and testified that the fog lights were not "off-road" lights but were, in fact, "auxiliary" or fog lights as permitted by California Motor Vehicle Code #24402 and therefore didn't require covers. The code states: "Any motor vehicle may be equipped with not to exceed two auxiliary driving lamps mounted on the front at a height of not less than 16 inches nor more than 42 inches." Despite the lights falling within those parameters, Russell was found guilty. The officer argued that the lights were off-road lights covered by section #24411, which allows up to eight lights, but they must be covered when not in off-road use.

The decision was reversed on appeal.

 

So does the Acura MDX.

 

I have trouble believing that. I've been using my fogs since 1990, and so has everyone else in California. Source(s)?

 

Usage of fog lights at night in the absence of fog is rudely offensive to drivers of oncoming vehicles. The aftermarket blue xenon bulbs are particularly obnoxious.

 

Maybe the super-bright aftermarket ones, but the OEM fogs are hardly anything.

 

Rudely offensive? Obnoxious? Why?

As they exist on The Prius and my vehicle (Honda Fit) I don't think in use they are either offensive or obnoxious. They are basicly low to the ground wide angle lighting.

Just standard headlights if shined directly at an oncoming vehicle can be distracting, maybe even blinding.

I think we should use care that we are comparing Apples to Apples. I'm not talking about Jeep or SUV's with large aftermarket lighting systems that the owner may or maynot define as "Fog Lights". I'm talking the standard issue fog lights.

I'm NOT saying this because I now own a vehicle that has a fog light option, I'm saying it because in all my years of driving I've never come head on with a standard set of oncoming fog lights and thought that they were causing me any additional vision problem.

In my opinion any beam of light directed at an individual at night might be blinding, rude or obnoxious be it from standard headlights, fog lights or a flashlight. But standard fog lights in my opinion, by design are not inheritently rude or obnoxious. They are simply two light sources close to the ground, really nothing more, nothing less.

 

Interesting!!!
I wonder how the numbers would fall if we graphed usage by age.
I have them on my P-V and use them almost all the time, but I'm in my seventies and my night vision isn't what it used to be. I love the LED illumination, but the fogs give me just a bit more, especially on the periphery. It's really easy to see if you are in a garage and flick them on and off and I see them working on the road.
I have them on our '08 and '10.

 

Use them when it's foggy.

 

Thanks ! My use of DISTRACTING reflective tape to "Distract" People on Cell Phones, Text Message Drivers, Just Plain BAD Drivers who don't Pay attention to their driving etc. is then, according to you, working as I intended. Great ! Perfect !

Now morons who turn on fog lights on a clear moonlit night, to Blind oncoming drivers with useless Glare from unnecessary lights, That is Dangerous to everyone and should stopped.

 

Personally? I've never seen a car coming at me with its foglights on that made me feel in any way that they were distracting or blinding. OEM foglights aren't much more than running lights anyways. I do agree that having all that reflective tape all over the car is more distracting as people are going to purposefully look at it when driving by trying to figure out what it is...point it out as weird to their passengers. Advanced driver training teaches you that you have a tendency to steer or drift towards what you are looking at. I could see how having such a bright, unusual looking car that will attract interest and attention at night could potentially actually be dangerous...

The HIDs and LEDs are so bright...they outshine the fogs and I assure you they aren't blinding anyone.

 

Agreed. OEM fogs are not aimed high, because that would cause the light to bounce off the fog and blind the driver. They're aimed low and wide, so this will not affect oncoming drivers.

 

Aaah Yes, Your Opinion again.

And yet Many Drivers are blinded by the light you find it necessary to use when these lights were designed for a specific use, and not ordinary night driving. The reflective tape is not going to affect anothers vison, just warn them of something to be aware of, which will make everyone safer.

In the 3200 so far, persons who viewed the threads showing my Prius's refective marking, only a tiny insignificant number of people have voiced a negative opinion. There are always a few nutcases in every human endeavor, people that we can ignore.

 

My mother taught me that if I didn't have anything nice to say, don't say anything. I suspect I'm not alone in applying that to your thread.

The other "nutcases" (as you describe them) aren't as polite.