Date:         Sat, 17 Dec 2005 22:48:10 +1300
Reply-To:     Andrew Grebneff <andrew.grebneff@STONEBOW.OTAGO.AC.NZ>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Andrew Grebneff <andrew.grebneff@STONEBOW.OTAGO.AC.NZ>
Subject:      Re: Pzwo lower grille foglights NLA
In-Reply-To:  <1de.4a0b76a6.30d2083d@aol.com>
Content-type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset=us-ascii

>Unfortunatley there's no universal signal for "your fog lights are
>obstructing my vision." But trust me they are.

I second that. Some so-called foglights (tack-on aftermarket marker
lights) are not vision-affecting, but true foglights ARE. They are
aligned parallel with the road surface, NOT dipped, and have no top
beam cutoff. They are designed for use in fog ONLY. Not ads
additional headlights.

>And, the thing is if one flashes their highbeams at the guy with his fog
>lights on in the SUV, or I dare say Vanagon--even breifly in a
>friendly reminder
>kind of way--he or she often feels the need to BLAST his or her high  beams
>at the victim to prove to the victim he or she doesn't have  his or her high
>beams on-- this, causing a worse visibility condition than  the one that began
>the whole misguided communication thing. Then it leads to  road rage. And
>before you know it there's a murder. (I'm speaking from an LA  perspective.)

I have taken to just putting my high-beams on and leaving them there
until the offending vehicle has passed by.

>When I'm driving my sedan, whether the fog lights are behind me or coming  at
>me, they are either obsructing vision or at a bare minimum annoying. It's a
>matter of common sense.

At worst they are downright dangerous.

>There's nothing illegal about using them all the time, day, night, parked.
>But know that you are bothering and imparing the visibility of other drivers
>when you have them on. Waiting for someone to react to an annoying  behavioiur
>is really more a test of their patience.

Fortunately in NZ it IS illegal... and they have advertised on TV
that they will be ticketing offenders. That hasn't stopped a lot of
people from continuing this bad habit.
--
Andrew Grebneff
Dunedin
New Zealand
Fossil preparator
<andrew.grebneff@stonebow.otago.ac.nz>
Seashell, Macintosh, VW/Toyota van nut

HUMANITY: THE ULTIMATE VON NEUMANN MACHINE

DEMOCRACY: RULE BY THE LOWEST COMMON DENOMINATOR