For help, advice and discussion about stuff not related to aviation. Play nice: no religion, no politics and no axe grinding please.
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#1895243
Miscellaneous wrote:
Cessna571 wrote:Why doesn’t anyone use wing mirrors any more?

Is it a trick question? Is it because car wings no longer have mirrors mounted on them? :D


It depends if driver is tall or short. :wink:

As a tall driver my seat is almost all the way back on the seat rail so the wing mirror is much closer to my peripheral vision when looking forwards.

A short friend has their seat much closer to the steering wheel in order for feet to use the pedals properly, and finds modern placement of mirrors awkward as have to turn the head much more to use them. As they are sitting closer to the A pillar, the sight line angles means they have a bigger blind spot behind the A pillar. This was less of a problem in the days before airbags in door pillars.
They reckon car manufacturers dont have enough short test drivers during development.

Having all these air bags is great if you have an accident, but they do not help prevent the accident in first place! .... which could be with pedestrians, runners, cyclists, motorcyclists, cars, vans, .... blah blah..
:wink:
mick w liked this
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By Rob P
#1895248
Bearing in mind the thread title I had cause to wonder on Tuesday if I had missed the memo about high intensity rear (fog) lights being made illegal?

In the couple of hundred miles from Norfolk to Portsmouth, with the fog hanging around for most of the morning I saw TWO other cars with these lights on.

To be fair, it was only for around 15 minutes in patches when the fog was bad enough to warrant their use, but people do seem to have forgotten where the switch is.

Rob P
User avatar
By Paul_Sengupta
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1895254
I think the last time I drove in fog thick enough for LVPs to warrant using fog lights was back in the 1990s. I've often thought that they should have a 30mph switch to them, so they automatically switch off above that speed. If you can see to go faster than 30mph then the high intensity lights aren't needed.

Rob P wrote:
Paul_Sengupta wrote:But my S type ones don't fold


It was on the option list, at least after the major face-lift of 2002 (?)


Yes, I had vaguely thought of retro fitting some, getting the parts on e-bay, but I'm not that bothered.
Charliesixtysix liked this
#1895262
Rob P wrote:In the couple of hundred miles from Norfolk to Portsmouth, with the fog hanging around for most of the morning I saw TWO other cars with these lights on.

More worryingly, on a journey north from South Wales through the Midlands recently I was concerned at the number of cars driving in dense fog without any lights on. Or arguably more irresponsible, driving with sidelights only.

I believe fog lights are required in visibility of 100m and less.
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By Rob P
#1895287
VRB_20kt wrote:Sadly not. Drive on any motorway on a wet, wet night and you’ll find far too many who know only too well how to switch the infernal things on.


As was always the way.

This however was daylight when they actually perform a useful function.

Rob P
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By PeteSpencer
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1895288
Jim Jones wrote:Dependence on auto lights is creating a situation worse than before. Daylight fog is not detected by the sensors. The car equivalent of FREDA checks would spot this of course.


I was pulled over early one morning by old bill for this reason: It also happened that I was travelling just under 80 mph at the time I had spotted him pull in just behind me and took my foot off without brakes and he followed me past a busy junction before stopping me .

We then had the discussion about the ‘auto’ function in the very light mist ( it was barely ‘fog’).

He had a look at my licence and waved me off and didn’t mention my speed .

He was a very nice policeman .

(I’ve often wondered whether retaining the honorific ‘Dr’ on my licence helps? -I only use it in moaning letters to Utility Companies : I stopped calling myself ‘ Dr’ in 1976 :lol:
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By kanga
#1895293
GAFlyer4Fun wrote:..

It depends if driver is tall or short. :wink:

.. car manufacturers dont have enough short test drivers during development.

..


see also upper anchorages for shoulder harnesses in cars (and aircraft ?). For 'not enough short' one can probably substitute 'not enough female', in both designer and sampler populations, as in many other design and research (notably including pharmaceutical) fields :?

Back to earlier comment on the relevant journalism: I'm guessing this new HC advice may lie (or among those which lie) behind the tabloid front page story featured here

https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/976/cpspr ... xpress.png

'Fury over new road rules'

.. so indignation generated by misreporting, job done, editor happy, journalist credited, success! :evil:
#1895294
CloudHound wrote:Apparently from the end of January 22 as part of the new Highway Code drivers must use their left hand to open their door.

Passengers must use their right hand.

It’s called the Dutch Reach and failure to follow the rule that results in injury can lead to a £1000 fine.

No, really it’s true.

Now we've established that the law has always been there (injuring someone by carelessly opening a door) can you change the title to a recommendation to avoid being fined :D ?
Mz Hedy liked this
#1895369
Jim Jones wrote:Dependence on auto lights is creating a situation worse than before. Daylight fog is not detected by the sensors. The car equivalent of FREDA checks would spot this of course.


Auto lights can get it wrong going towards a setting sun (no lights on the rear).

It can get it wrong in rain (no lights on the rear) or when the driver is a bit too close to the lorry in front and being hidden in its spray. Auto lights getting it wrong in rain is quite dangerous when coupled with excessively slow driver in middle lane with no rear lights and the rest of the world is still doing 70... seen some swerving and panic braking.

Driver is oblivious as dashboard is illuminated.

Surprised there are not more accidents due to auto lighting.

The car manufacturers seem to be lacking some test cases for auto lights.
I hope they dont abolish the manual light switch.

I have seen my dads make/model of car on the road exhibiting these problems with auto lights and have tried to warn him.
He wont listen... just says why should I put lights on manually when it's automatic?
The technology is not perfect.
#1895387
GAFlyer4Fun wrote:Surprised there are not more accidents due to auto lighting.

Maybe there are many more. :wink:

I smiled to myself outside the high school today as kids made their way to and from school, crossing the road in the process, some head never rising from phone, :D
#1895400
If the risk of injury doesn't stop them doing so I doubt it becoming an unenforceable law would have much impact. :wink:

The more I think about it the more confused I am becoming. Introducing new legislation for the right intentions doesn't necessarily result in achieving the objective. Does anyone know if and what the problem was? I fear the changes may actually create more risk.
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