Everyone is familiar with the headlights on the front of their cars. Still, many take a while to realise that the two smaller lights underneath them serve a different purpose. Those are the car’s fog lamps, with a different design and purpose from headlamps.
A car’s fog lamps are designed to illuminate the road in low-visibility situations. They’re lower so the lights can cut through dust, rain, and fog to reach a small section of the road ahead. Cars also have rear fog lamps pointed straight so other drivers can see the vehicle when visibility is low.
This guide will help you understand everything there is to know about fog lamps, from their purpose to their design.
Let’s get to it.
What Are Fog Lamps?
Fog lamps are additional lights attached to your car. Their purpose and placement differ from regular headlights (or driving lamps).
As the name suggests, fog lamps are designed for low-visibility scenarios, like when the road is foggy.
Fog lamps use bulbs much brighter than those in headlights to ensure that light can cut through whatever reduces your visibility of the road ahead.
Besides that, fog lamps are also placed much lower to the ground for the same reason, i.e. so the light can cut through the fog or dust and illuminate the road ahead, that’s why you’ll always find fog lamps below the car’s standard headlights.
Cars also come equipped with rear fog lights. Instead of illuminating the road in low-visibility situations, rear fog lamps are designed to increase other drivers' visibility of your car.
There’s another difference between the two fog lamps: front fog lamps are pointed slightly downward to illuminate a short section of road in front of you. Meanwhile, rear fog lights are pointed straight out in the direction of other cars.
In other words, front fog lamps help you see the road, but rear fog lamps help other drivers see you. That way, they can keep a safe distance and avoid accidentally hitting you.
When Do You Use Fog Lamps?
You use car fog lamps when driving in low-visibility scenarios and only in those situations.
Let's be clear on this: you must not use your fog lamps when the weather is clear, and there's no problem seeing the road.
Remember that fog lamps use brighter-than-usual bulbs. When you use them in high-visibility situations, those bulbs will dazzle other drivers and distract them from seeing more essential things, like your brake lights.
So, you should only use fog lamps in situations like the following:
- Misty weather
- Foggy weather
- Rainy weather
- Dusty weather
Front fog lights are short-range lamps, designed to illuminate only a short section of the road ahead, so you should be driving slowly when you use them.
So even when your car is equipped with fog lamps, it’s always a good idea to drive slowly so you can see and avoid dangers on the road in front of you.
Additionally, you should also refer to your local road rules and regulations. For example, the use of fog lamps is regulated by rules, and typically, there are fines involved for their misuse.
Fines also cover illegal modifications of fog lamps, such as using overly bright light bulbs that risk dazzling other drivers.
So, to avoid any fines or other problems with the law, check what the rules are and stick to them.
Can You Add Fog Lights to a Car?
Yes, you can add fog lights to a car.
Most cars these days already have fog lights as a standard feature. However, if your vehicle doesn't have them or you don't like the ones you have, you can choose something like a Suzuki Swift fog lamp kit as an add-on or perhaps another kit tailored to your car’s make and model.
But remember: if you’re trying to add fog lamps to a car that never had them to begin with, you’ll have to install new wiring and find places to stick those new lamps. That’s not a problem for the dedicated auto enthusiast, but it might be an issue if you’re expecting a plug-and-play solution for them.
Aftermarket solutions like the Swift fog lamp mentioned earlier help make it easier to get the job done by including all the necessary equipment to add fog lights to your car.
Are Projector Fog Lamps Legal?
Typically, cars use reflector headlights and fog lamps, consisting of a bulb inside a steel bowl. As the name suggests, that bowl reflects the light, illuminating the road ahead. Unlike a reflector fog lamp, a projector fog lamp for a car has its bulb aimed directly forward through a lens that focuses the beam.
There have been questions surrounding the legality of projector fog lights, and they can be pretty tricky to determine. For instance, browse your favourite automotive forum online, and you’ll often see people debating whether a bi-xenon projector fog lamp light breaks any local laws.
Some vehicles come with projector headlights and fog lamps as standard features. However, the tricky bit is for aftermarket ones that use extremely bright lightbulbs.
In most cases, any lights you put on your car are legal as long as installed correctly, and there's no risk of blinding other drivers on the road.
For example, a projector fog lamp that uses an extremely bright lightbulb that affects other drivers’ visibility, particularly those in oncoming traffic, puts everyone at risk and is, therefore, illegal.
However, as with most other things road-related, the rules differ between states and territories. So, always refer to your local road authority and when in doubt, contact them directly.
It’s always best to confirm the legality of something like projector fog lamps in your state before you invest a lot of money in them and risk hefty fines later on.
To get your hands on aftermarket fog lamps or other car parts, check out CarpartAU. The Marketplace is full of great deals on used parts, while the Part Finder is ready to help you find brand new parts if that’s what you’re after.
By Ray Hasbollah