Do you turn on your emergency lights when it rains hard?

[BW86]

lol, of course not.

 

[mtnd3vil]

Originally posted by: spidey07

Originally posted by: mtnd3vil

Originally posted by: Asharus
BTW Most Euro Cars have Rear Fog lights. Ever see Mercs that have their rear fog light on by accident? I see people do that all the time.

It's fairly easy to do that on slightly older Mercedes. For the most part, people don't even know how to turn the fog lights on, they don't know to pull the headlight switch out one position to turn the fog lights on, or two positions to turn on the rear fog light.


Driving with the hazard lights on is one of my pet-peeves and it infuriates me. I blow the horn at people when I pass them doing that, every time.


Not only do I see them doing in the rain, but when they are towing a trailer....or even have things in the bed of a pick-up truck.

If you drive with the hazards on, I'm going to hold the horn down as I pass you. Learn to drive.

you should not be passing in very low visibility conditions, in fact it could be illegal (driving too fast for conditions). That's why the hazard lights are on.

Let me clarify:

I'm not talking about passing in a passing zone of a two lane road. I'm talking about on the express way. This is the only place I ever seem to see people driving in the rain with the hazards on.



And furthermore, WTF?
Driving with your hazards on DISABLES your turn signal. If flat out disables any and all chance of being able to signal a turn. If you want to talk about illegal, lets talk about driving around with no turn signal.


When John Q. Public is driving in the rain in the center lane of the 3 lane highway with his hazards on,and then signals a lane change to the right lane and NOTHING happens to indicate this, how is he creating a safer situation for anybody? Please explain.


I am SO angry about this discussion, please explain your view-point on why no turn signals in the rain is a safety feature.

 

[spidey07]

Originally posted by: mtnd3vil
I am SO angry about this discussion, please explain your view-point on why no turn signals in the rain is a safety feature.

It warns other drivers of a hazardous condition and allows those behind you to realize, gee there is a car in front of me.

I'm talking about the kind of rain where you can't see 25 feet in front of you. The hazard lights warn people of a bad situation and increases my cars visibility.

When it's raining that hard everybody is to slow down to a safe speed (could be as slow as 20 mph), keep your distance, hold your line and DON'T pass. Even on the interstate - conditions are too dangerous to pass.

It's alwasy fun to see the moron passing everybody only to go careening out of control when he hydroplanes.

Watch semi-truck drivers. They know the rules/ways of the road. They'll use their hazards in such a situation.

Some quick googling reveals much truth...from the National Transportation Safety Board. The article is a little old so some current data would be nice. It would be interesting to see how many states require the use of hazard lights in low visibility conditions today.

http://www.ntsb.gov/Recs/letters/1995/H95_47.pdf

"?he use of hazard flashers on vehicles in fog could have as beneficial an effect for hazard
perception as separate fog lamps on the m of vehicles, which might mask brake lights.
However, a SO-State Safety Board telephone survey found that although 4 States require hazard
flasher use in low visibility conditions, at least 6 States prohibit their use on moving vehicles.
Many States restrict hazard light use to situations such as heavy trucks ascending hills, txaveling
below minimum speeds on interstate or secondary highways, or being stopped or disabled along
the shoulder of the highway. Most States do not address the use of hazard flashers in low
visibility conditions. The 1992 edition of the Unifom Vehicle Code (UVC) section 12-215
suggests the following:
(f) IIhe driver of any vehicle equipped with vehicular hazard warning lights may
activate such lights whenever necessary to wam the operators of following
vehicles of the presence of a traffic hazard ahead of the signaling vehicle, or to
warn the opetators of other vehicles that the signaling vehicle may itself constitute
a traffic hazard. (NEW, 1986)
(g) 'Ihe driver of a truck, bus, or truck tractor pulling a trailer or trailers, equipped
with vehicular hazard warning lights may activate such lights when that vehicle
is proceeding up a grade, or under other conditions requiring it to be o p t e d at
a speed less than the prevailing speed of tra?Ec. (NEW, 1986)
3

The Safety Board determined in this investigation that currently a patchwork of States'
laws cover the use of emergency flashers. While 6 States specifically prohibit the use of flashers
on moving vehicles, 16 others place various restrictions on their use. Some States require the use
of flashers below certain speeds, on certain roads, or under certain driving conditions.
Consequently, a cross-country driver can not immediately determine whether the use of flashers
is legal. The Safety Board concludes that action needs to be taken to ensure the uniformity of
laws allowing the use of four-way hazard flashers. The S a f i Board believes that all States as
well as the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and the
Territories should review and revise, if necessary, existing State law regarding emergency hazardflasher
o p t i o n to ensure that guidelines provided by the lJVC section 12-215 (0 and (g) are
followed.
Therefore, the National Transportation Safety Board recommends that the 50 States, the
District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rim, the Vigin Islands, and the Tenitones:
Review and revise, if necessary, existing State law regardhg emergency hazardflasher
operation to ensure that the guidelines provided by the IJniform Vehicle
Code section 12-215 (f) and (g) are followed. (Class II, Priority Action) (H-95-47)"

 

[Cristatus]

Originally posted by: cavemanmoron
If your going less than 40- 45 mph,
on a divided highway;
by law in some states you Must have your flashers on.

If its pouring really hard, and vehicles are hard to see,
what makes more sense?>

Drive along slow, with no lights on, and have
a BIG Truck run you over, and kill you?>:thumbsup: :roll:

Or be smart, and turn on the 4 way flashers??

Oh my 1964 Plymouth doesn't have 4way flashers,
it was not required back then.

Wouldn't it make more sense to have your fog-lights on? I think that's the general rule in Europe (though I'm not a driver myself, so I'm not sure)

 

[iamwiz82]

Originally posted by: logic1485

Originally posted by: cavemanmoron
If your going less than 40- 45 mph,
on a divided highway;
by law in some states you Must have your flashers on.

If its pouring really hard, and vehicles are hard to see,
what makes more sense?>

Drive along slow, with no lights on, and have
a BIG Truck run you over, and kill you?>:thumbsup: :roll:

Or be smart, and turn on the 4 way flashers??

Oh my 1964 Plymouth doesn't have 4way flashers,
it was not required back then.

Wouldn't it make more sense to have your fog-lights on? I think that's the general rule in Europe (though I'm not a driver myself, so I'm not sure)

Rear fog lamps are not required here. I wish they were since they would nullify this whole thread.

 

[Ricochet]

Originally posted by: xospec1alk
If its raining extremely hard where i can't even see the road in front of me, then yes i turn them on, mainly so the car behind me can see me.

I concur. Had it happened to me once when driving through Texas. It poured so hard that I can barely see 5 yards in front of my car. Every vehicle on the road turned on their hazards out of necessity.

 

[mtnd3vil]

Originally posted by: spidey07

Originally posted by: mtnd3vil
I am SO angry about this discussion, please explain your view-point on why no turn signals in the rain is a safety feature.

It warns other drivers of a hazardous condition and allows those behind you to realize, gee there is a car in front of me.

I'm talking about the kind of rain where you can't see 25 feet in front of you. The hazard lights warn people of a bad situation and increases my cars visibility.

When it's raining that hard everybody is to slow down to a safe speed (could be as slow as 20 mph), keep your distance, hold your line and DON'T pass. Even on the interstate - conditions are too dangerous to pass.

It's alwasy fun to see the moron passing everybody only to go careening out of control when he hydroplanes.

Watch semi-truck drivers. They know the rules/ways of the road. They'll use their hazards in such a situation.

I fully understand the reasons why you and the people who support your argument feel that the hazard lights are a good idea in heavy rain.

The answer I am looking for is: Why does anybody think that driving in the rain with hazards on is MORE important than having a working turn signal system?



Let me say this as clear as I can.

Previously in this thread there were some people that questioned what happened when you try to use the turn signal with the hazards on. It is an intersting question--let me answer if for everyone: Nothing

Hazard lights over-ride the turn signal in every case, on every car. (Go try it on your car)
If cars were meant to be driven with hazard lights on, using the turn signal would cause the appropriate side markers to blink at double the flashing rate of the hazard flash. There is no car in the world that does this, stop driving with the hazards on!

 

[spidey07]

see my edit with supporting recommendations on hazard light use in low visibility.

As far as signaling - you don't.

Conditions are so bad that you just drive with your hazards on. You can google some more if you like, but the NTSB article is pretty good and confirms as much as doubling the distance a car is seen when it has it's harzards flashing.

Also, I'm not arguing. Just trying to help people when they are in this situation to be safe. It's real easy to have a pile up in such conditions and those can get real ugly.

 

[mtnd3vil]

Rear fog lamps are not required here. I wish they were since they would nullify this whole thread.

You are incredibly correct.

When I was 16 and 17 I only had my mom's car to drive. It's a 1999 SAAB 9-5 and it has an easy to use rear fog-light. My 1991 Saab does NOT have this feature and I don't try to make up new safety features for it by using the hazard lights.


So if you have a car that doesn't have an air-bag are you all going to drive around with a pillow on the steering wheel?



Another clarification moment for everyone:
Fog-Lights are white lights in the front of the car that can be used in addition to the headlights to allow the DRIVER to see the road better.

A rear Fog-light is a single OR set of red lights that illumiates next to the rear running lights. It illuminates at the brightness of the brake light. It's purpose is to allow other drivers to see the car in harsh conditions.

Pic of rear fog lights

 

[Rubycon]

Originally posted by: DivideBYZero

Umm, yeah. We're talking about cars BTW.

Noah really eh?

Didn't know autos had emergency lights. Emergency brakes maybe.

<--non driver here

 

[xospec1alk]

Originally posted by: mtnd3vil
Let me say this as clear as I can.

Previously in this thread there were some people that questioned what happened when you try to use the turn signal with the hazards on. It is an intersting question--let me answer if for everyone: Nothing

Hazard lights over-ride the turn signal in every case, on every car. (Go try it on your car)
If cars were meant to be driven with hazard lights on, using the turn signal would cause the appropriate side markers to blink at double the flashing rate of the hazard flash. There is no car in the world that does this, stop driving with the hazards on!

i think you're missing the point...if its raining heavy enough that i can't see 2 feet in front of me, and i would need to turn my hazards to drive, i WOULD NOT be passing..

 

[Gooberlx2]

Originally posted by: xospec1alk
If its raining extremely hard where i can't even see the road in front of me, then yes i turn them on, mainly so the car behind me can see me.

Ditto, and so that they know that I'm driving slow (and so should they). But I think you and I are talking about near monsoons, where looking through your windshield is like trying to see through the underside of a waterfall.

I have a feeling that people here are complaining about people using their hazards in a light sprinkle or something.

 

[Hannover]

Originally posted by: mtnd3vil

Originally posted by: spidey07

Originally posted by: mtnd3vil
I am SO angry about this discussion, please explain your view-point on why no turn signals in the rain is a safety feature.

It warns other drivers of a hazardous condition and allows those behind you to realize, gee there is a car in front of me.

I'm talking about the kind of rain where you can't see 25 feet in front of you. The hazard lights warn people of a bad situation and increases my cars visibility.

When it's raining that hard everybody is to slow down to a safe speed (could be as slow as 20 mph), keep your distance, hold your line and DON'T pass. Even on the interstate - conditions are too dangerous to pass.

It's alwasy fun to see the moron passing everybody only to go careening out of control when he hydroplanes.

Watch semi-truck drivers. They know the rules/ways of the road. They'll use their hazards in such a situation.

I fully understand the reasons why you and the people who support your argument feel that the hazard lights are a good idea in heavy rain.

The answer I am looking for is: Why does anybody think that driving in the rain with hazards on is MORE important than having a working turn signal system?



Let me say this as clear as I can.

Previously in this thread there were some people that questioned what happened when you try to use the turn signal with the hazards on. It is an intersting question--let me answer if for everyone: Nothing

Hazard lights over-ride the turn signal in every case, on every car. (Go try it on your car)
If cars were meant to be driven with hazard lights on, using the turn signal would cause the appropriate side markers to blink at double the flashing rate of the hazard flash. There is no car in the world that does this, stop driving with the hazards on!

Here's an idea... turn off the hazards for a minute while you signal for the lane change or merge.

You're making this much harder than it really is. Just use common sense.

 

[mtnd3vil]

Originally posted by: xospec1alk

i think you're missing the point...if its raining heavy enough that i can't see 2 feet in front of me, and i would need to turn my hazards to drive, i WOULD NOT be passing..

Need your hazards to drive?
using your hazard lights does not give you any more driving ability. There is no situation where you CAN'T drive unless your car is flashing orange.

And passing has nothing to do with it--How about getting on and off the highway? making a left hand exit ramp? moving to a center lane because too much water is pooled up in the right lane? Deciding that is REALLY is raining too much to drive and pulling off to the shoulder?

Would you not signal for any of these situations also?

 

[RCN]

Originally posted by: mtnd3vil

Originally posted by: xospec1alk

i think you're missing the point...if its raining heavy enough that i can't see 2 feet in front of me, and i would need to turn my hazards to drive, i WOULD NOT be passing..

Need your hazards to drive?
using your hazard lights does not give you any more driving ability. There is no situation where you CAN'T drive unless your car is flashing orange.

And passing has nothing to do with it--How about getting on and off the highway? making a left hand exit ramp? moving to a center lane because too much water is pooled up in the right lane? Deciding that is REALLY is raining too much to drive and pulling off to the shoulder?

Would you not signal for any of these situations also?

I am signaling. My hazard lights are on.

I would much rather be more visible to other drivers during the time I am driving straight. I appreciate when others do it.

 

[Aquila76]

Originally posted by: nakedfrog
I don't think I've ever even seen this before, and I've driven through some hellacious downpours.

Me neither.

 

[FoBoT]

missouri driver guide says

You can stop on the shoulder of the highway in an emergency. If you do,
alert other drivers by turning on your emergency flashers. It is also helpful
to raise the hood, or tie a white cloth to the antenna.

If your vehicle breaks down on a highway, make sure other drivers can see
you and your vehicle. Accidents occur because a driver did not see a
stalled vehicle until it was too late to stop.
If possible, use a 2-way radio, telephone, or cellular phone to notify
authorities that your vehicle (or someone else?s) has broken down. Many
roadways have signs that tell you the CB channel or telephone number to
call in an emergency. The cellular number to call in an emergency is *55. If
you are having vehicle trouble and have to stop, consider the following:
? If at all possible, get your vehicle off the road and away from traffic.
? Turn on your emergency flashers to show you are having trouble.

FOG
It is very dangerous to drive in fog. If you must drive in fog, you should:
? Reduce your speed.
? Be alert and ready to stop.
? Keep your headlights on low beam. In fog, you will see less if your lights
are on high beam.
? If the fog becomes so thick you cannot see, pull off the road and stop.
Leave your lights and emergency flashers ON.

TIRE BLOWOUT: If you have a tire blowout, you may hear a loud ?bang?
then ?thump, thump, thump.? The steering wheel may jerk, and you may
lose control of your vehicle.
1. Hold the steering wheel tightly.
2. Take your foot off the accelerator, but do not hit the brakes.
3. Let your vehicle slow to a stop completely off the road.
4. Apply the brakes when the vehicle is almost stopped.
5. Turn on your emergency flashers.
6. Change the tire only if you can do so without placing yourself in
danger.

STEERING FAILURE: If your vehicle does not turn when you turn the
wheel:
1. Take your foot off the accelerator.
2. Let your vehicle slow down by itself. Do not hit the brakes until your
vehicle has almost stopped or unless you have to.
3. Turn on your emergency flashers.
HEADLIGHT FAILURE: If your vehicle?s headlights go out:
1. Try the dimmer switch or headlight switch, that might turn them on
again. If that does not work...
2. Put on the parking lights, emergency flashers, or turn signals.
3. Pull off the road, but leave the emergency flashers on.

BLOCKED VISION: If your hood suddenly flies open, your windshield
wipers fail, or something else blocks your vision:
1. Roll down the window so you can look around whatever is blocking
your view.
2. Turn on your emergency flashers.
3. Pull your vehicle off the road.

nothing about rain or driving with them on

 

[mtnd3vil]

After a quick google search on the topic, I admit defeat.

The whole first page of google was nothing but multiple (non-governmental) sources ADVISING the use of hazard lights while driving. And I don't care to argue with the entire country about this topic--I initially thought it was just a few ppl on this thread, not a nation.


I heatedly continue to disagree, however I will accept hazard lights on a moving car.


Good anand OT topic.

 

[zanieladie]

To those of you who advocate NOT using the hazards and pulling off the road...

Yeah...so that I can have one of you ram into me because you can't see? Fat chance!

I HAVE used my flashers to alert thoe behind me that conditions are such that driving ability is impaired.

 

[Cristatus]

Originally posted by: mtnd3vil

Rear fog lamps are not required here. I wish they were since they would nullify this whole thread.

You are incredibly correct.

When I was 16 and 17 I only had my mom's car to drive. It's a 1999 SAAB 9-5 and it has an easy to use rear fog-light. My 1991 Saab does NOT have this feature and I don't try to make up new safety features for it by using the hazard lights.


So if you have a car that doesn't have an air-bag are you all going to drive around with a pillow on the steering wheel?



Another clarification moment for everyone:
Fog-Lights are white lights in the front of the car that can be used in addition to the headlights to allow the DRIVER to see the road better.

A rear Fog-light is a single OR set of red lights that illumiates next to the rear running lights. It illuminates at the brightness of the brake light. It's purpose is to allow other drivers to see the car in harsh conditions.

Pic of rear fog lights

I don't think those are normal foglights.

IIRC, foglights are supposed to be mounted seperately, as shown here

 

[Nithin]

crap, i voted yes.
i have headlights on. not emergency lights.

 

[dxkj]

I don't understand your question, I think you have the reason for turning the lights on/off wrong.


Do I turn the E lights on when it rains hard,no.

Do I turn the E lights on when im driving below the speed limit, slow, because the weather is bad (slippery roads, hard snow, hard rain), of course, it is the law to signal if you are below the speed of traffic isnt it? Otherwise someone comes flying up behind you and rear ends you.


Though it is a pet peeve when people cant drive fast in bad weather, learn to drive jackasse!

 

[spidey07]

interesting thing on the way to work this morning as I had mentioned watch truckers for what they do.

this car was towing another car and started wobbling back and forth badly with the truck behind him. The semi thru on his hazards, slowed down. I was behind and to the left and saw the impending hazard. put on my hazard lights and slowed down to around 40 to match the truck. car w/trailer couldn't get control but finally was able to slow down enough to pull over.

so the morale of this one is a bad accident was probably avoided by people paying attention to a hazardous situation and warning other drivers.

 

[Jeff7]

Signal lights are methods of communication. Hazard lights indicate that a driver perceives something that could be dangerous. Heavy rain limits visibility - putting hazard lights on can let you be visible to other cars, or let them know that you can't see jack out the front of your own car.

 

[TallBill]

Originally posted by: J0hnny
I don't. It was pouring hard (new york city) the other day and many people on the highway had them on.

I'm not really peeved by it, but I am more peeved by those that don't even turn on their headlights!

In IL, when its raining you have to turn your headlights on. Great law IMHO.