Fog lights for better safety in poor visibility conditions
Fog Lights For Better Safety In Poor Visibility Conditions
It is a prerequisite for safe driving that every object on the road as well as the oncoming vehicles are clearly visible to the driver. In day time the sun provides more than adequate visibility. At night headlights are adequate, but if it is foggy or misty headlights are not of much help. At such times fog lights have to be used.
In order to penetrate the fog they have to be very bright. Some technological innovations have lead to the invention of brighter sources of light. Consequently we now have LED lights, halogen lights, and discharge lamps which are very bright. Besides the brightness of the light, the color of the light is also very important for optimum utility of headlights. White light is a mix of many colors. In fog or mist there are small droplets of water or water vapor in the atmosphere which scatter the oncoming light. Lights of different colors are scattered in different directions. If white light is used its components would be scattered in different directions. The beam of light will thereby loose its focus. So a single color light is preferred. Red would have been the best color as it is better able to penetrate fog. However, red color lights are used in stop signals, so the use of red color fog lights is likely to cause confusion. So the next best yellow color headlights are generally is used for quality fog lights. Now a days because of the invention of very bright sources of light purplish lights are also in use which look attractive.
The beam of light may be bright and of proper color but it has to be directed properly on the road. Appropriate reflectors and lenses have been designed for this purpose. The location of the fog lights is also important. The beam of light should not blind the drivers of oncoming vehicles. So fog lights are located below the low beam headlights and their beam is aimed lower at the immediately oncoming road. Fog lights are an important safety feature and a wide range of fog lights are available in the market. You can know more about fog lights at www.ilovebodykits.com.