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Difficulty: MediumFog and Poor Visibility

You are driving along a rural road in patchy fog where visibility temporarily drops below 100 metres (328 feet). After switching on your fog lights, you enter a clear stretch where visibility returns to normal. What should you do regarding your fog lights?

  1. A
    Leave them switched on in case you encounter another sudden patch of fog ahead
  2. Switch them off promptly to avoid dazzling other road users and obscuring your brake lightsAnswer
  3. C
    Leave them on and switch your headlights to main beam to improve forward vision
  4. D
    Keep them on but increase your following distance from the vehicle ahead

Answer

Switch them off promptly to avoid dazzling other road users and obscuring your brake lights
Under UK Highway Code Rule 236, you must switch off your front and rear fog lights as soon as visibility improves beyond 100 metres (328 feet). High-intensity rear fog lights can dazzle drivers travelling behind you and make your brake lights much harder to distinguish.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Assess the current road visibility against the legal threshold.
Visibility has improved to well over 100 metres (328 feet).
Under UK Highway Code Rules 226 and 236, fog lights are legally permitted only when visibility is seriously reduced to 100 metres or less.
2
Deactivate front and rear fog lights once the fog has cleared.
The vehicle returns to standard lighting without excessive rear glare.
High-intensity rear fog lights dazzle following drivers and make it difficult for them to see when you apply the brakes.

Key Concept

UK Highway Code Rule 236 states that drivers must switch off front and rear fog lights when visibility improves beyond 100 metres (328 feet) because they dazzle other road users and can obscure brake lights.
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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Topics

Fog and Poor Visibility

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