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Old 21st January 2020, 15:04   #31
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Re: Haryana Police promotes blinker usage in foggy conditions

Quote:
Originally Posted by amitk26 View Post
On a separate note
I don't see why we need to be so stuck up about what was original intention of blinkers.
Exactly my point. Every country has certain culture and we operate based on the culture developed.

Example: Honking is perfectly fine for Indian roads since it just sends a message to the obstructor to wake up and give space for the vehicle behind to pass through(People do not respond to the horns, that is a different story).

Abroad countries consider honking to be insult to them. This is just because, they have been trained that way. Scientifically and logically, Is honking right or wrong? Answer is NEITHER RIGHT NOR WRONG. it is in our interpretation of the sound.

Exactly same thought process for Hazard light. We can use the hazard light to indicate there is some hazard. But, what is the percentage of usage of this feature for its specified purpose. may be 4-5%.

So, why can't we build the messaging system that Hazardous lights be used during rains /stormy/fog conditions to indicate "DRIVE MORE CAREFULLY. THERE IS A VEHICLE JUST IN FRONT OF YOU" Once this message is understood by people, (I presume, few of the long drive people know this already), there is no confusion at all.

If we still think, this is NOT logical approach, do we have any other messaging system to indicate the above? Basically, the car owner need to give a signal to people behind to drive MORE CAREFULLY in rain because he is just ahead of him.

Since we do not have any other mechanism, we should start using this, in my view

Last edited by gkveda : 21st January 2020 at 15:07.
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Old 21st January 2020, 15:44   #32
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Re: Haryana Police promotes blinker usage in foggy conditions

When to use hazard lights (all FOUR/SIX blinkers) in India:
1) When learning a vehicle
2) When it is raining
3) When it is foggy
4) When entering dark tunnels
5) When intending to go straight through a four-way crossing
6) When being towed or towing

When NOT to use hazard blinkers in India
1) When the vehicle is parked/broken down/stranded on the road side and is HAZARD to others on road.

Regards-SS
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Old 21st January 2020, 15:50   #33
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Re: Haryana Police promotes blinker usage in foggy conditions

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Originally Posted by slango97 View Post
Regarding the latter point, it is quite common I believe. I live in Stockholm and I see many people do it especially when driving on the fast lane to signal to the car in front to move over.
Counter-intuitive, but still might work especially on freeways where there are no turns at all.

The situation I quoted is me indicating to turn left in India and the vehicle behind me taking it as a signal to overtake! The vehicle behind me nearly crashed into me and was given proper dose of expletives for why did I make the turn!!
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Old 21st January 2020, 16:20   #34
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Re: Haryana Police promotes blinker usage in foggy conditions

Can't say that I'm surprised. During a recent holiday in MP, I encountered fog on Yamuna Expressway, on both legs of the journey (visibility of hardly a hundred meters). At the toll plazas, I was surprised to hear that they were actually advising over loudspeakers to use blinkers because of heavy fog (Besides driving carefully of course). And people, of course were gunning their engines with blinkers on, in medium to dense fog. Although I think everyone was driving a tad slowly (going by YEW standards), it was still quite fast for my comfort and I was left with no option other than to be as alert as possible.

Quote:
Originally Posted by gkveda View Post
Exactly my point. Every country has certain culture and we operate based on the culture developed.
What you say is true, but please understand that these lights also serve a very important function of signalling your intent about which way you are going to turn. If you keep them on continuously, others will have no way of figuring that out, isn't it? I think that in heavy fog or rain, the only thing to do is to pull over and wait. Once the weather clears a bit, move slowly so that in case if any emergency, you can brake quickly. Using blinkers might not be such a big deal in YEW where the tarmac is excellent and traffic is moderate by Indian highway standards, but in cities or busy highways, it can lead to accidents.
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Old 21st January 2020, 19:05   #35
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Re: Haryana Police promotes blinker usage in foggy conditions

Quote:
Originally Posted by amitk26 View Post
keep them blinking
I don't see why we need to be so stuck up about what was original intention of blinkers.
Quote:
Originally Posted by gkveda View Post
Exactly my point. Every country has certain culture and we operate based on the culture developed.

Example:...
Seriously, guys?

Our driving culture says
- it's fine to honk;
- it's okay to jump red lights;
- we can overtake from the left at all times;
- it's a perfectly good habit not to stick to lanes;
- it's correct to stop in the middle of the road for passengers to alight;
- parking 5 feet away from the kerb is a normal practice;
- high beams are essential all the time to light up everyone's lives
- ...

I could go on and on and on. And here you folks support an illogical & unsafe practice because it is supposed to be part of our driving culture and there is no need to be stuck up about it?

It costs Rs.500 or less to install front/rear fog lamps. For someone who can afford a car, that is small change. Please install those fog lamps and shut off those hazard lights!

Last edited by SS-Traveller : 21st January 2020 at 19:07.
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Old 21st January 2020, 19:17   #36
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Re: Haryana Police promotes blinker usage in foggy conditions

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Originally Posted by SS-Traveller View Post
Seriously, guys?
Yes
Quote:
Originally Posted by SS-Traveller View Post

I could go on and on and on. And here you folks support an illogical & unsafe practice because it is supposed to be part of our driving culture and there is no need to be stuck up about it?

It costs Rs.500 or less to install front/rear fog lamps. For someone who can afford a car, that is small change. Please install those fog lamps and shut off those hazard lights!
Prey tell me how it is illogical and unsafe first ? Lets stick to blinkers when traffic comes to dead halt due to sudden fog all others in your list are orthogonal so not going to comment on that

Thick fog which suddenly engulfs a patch of road out of the blue is the exact kind of hazardous situation for which blinkers are designed. You are not driving but crawling at 5 or 10 kmph tailing the traffic so as not to cause a pileup.

I do have fog lamps both in front and rear however it is not about me
how exactly you or local police is going to enforce 500Rs fog lamp installation unless CMVR is modified to make rear fog lamps mandatory ?

In fact what passes off as aftermarket fog lamps those Hellas and lightforces or knockoffs bolted on bumpers and focussing directly on eyes of incoming traffic are the problem.
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Old 21st January 2020, 19:39   #37
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Re: Haryana Police promotes blinker usage in foggy conditions

Quote:
Originally Posted by amitk26 View Post
Prey tell me how it is illogical and unsafe first ?
Pray, not prey.

The reasons have already been explained in detail in my article written 7 years ago, and quoted by GTO on the first page of this thread.
Quote:
Originally Posted by amitk26 View Post
...all others in your list are orthogonal so not going to comment on that
Didn't undertand what you are trying to say here. Please explain what you mean by 'orthogonal'.
Quote:
Originally Posted by amitk26 View Post
...how exactly ... local police is going to enforce 500Rs fog lamp installation unless CMVR is modified to make rear fog lamps mandatory ?
In exactly the same way that Chandigarh Traffic Police enforces driving on low main beams only, and banning the use of auxiliary driving lamps and LED bars. The rest of the country and the CMVR do not bother about such things - in fact, the CMVR does not mention anything about auxiliary driving lamps or fog lamps, never mind LED bars (which are strictly banned except for off-road use in the rest of the world).
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Old 21st January 2020, 21:48   #38
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Re: Haryana Police promotes blinker usage in foggy conditions

Having lived in the US for 20 years and having driven a lot across Canada and Europe as well, I can chime in to say that the use of hazard lights in quite common and even permissible when one is driving much slower than normal. It is common to see a vehicle with say a punctured tyre moving slowly with hazard lights. As the name implies, they signal a hazard ahead. So even though they are normally used when you are stationary and blocking the road, they can also be used if you are crawling due to some emergency.

Coming to North India, we have extremely dense fog and normal lights are barely visible. In such conditions, the orange or red hazard lights do improve visibility. However these should only be used when the fog in super dense and the vehicles are actually crawling. Unfortunately most Indian drivers turn them on and then start speeding in low visibility.

Here is a list of US state laws on the use of hazard lights while driving from the American Automobile Association. Take a look at at the Canada section as well as they suffer from snow and fog.

https://drivinglaws.aaa.com/tag/hazard-light-use/
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Old 21st January 2020, 22:34   #39
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Re: Haryana Police promotes blinker usage in foggy conditions

yes, in Connecticut, where I am, I have seen folks driving around with flashing hazard lights, including cops. Looking into the law.

Quote:
State law generally prohibits flashing lights on motor vehicles, except when used:
...
3. to signal a turn;
4. to indicate a disabled vehicle that is stopped in or close to a hazardous location on a
highway;
5. to indicate a vehicle that is unable, due to a highway’s grade, to maintain the 40 mph
minimum speed on a limited access divided highway;
6. to indicate a vehicle operating at a speed that is slow enough to obstruct or endanger
following traffic;
https://www.cga.ct.gov/2018/rpt/pdf/2018-R-0161.pdf

calling these rules unfair and illogical does not make sense when these are widely adopted, and there havent been any issues
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Old 22nd January 2020, 02:53   #40
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Re: Haryana Police promotes blinker usage in foggy conditions

Just like flashing highbeams(means "I yield" in the first world), I think Indians have a different meaning for hazard light. Hazard means a danger- driving slowly in dense fog doesn't mean you're a danger as all road users should drive slowly.

I think rear fog lamps should be made mandatory. I've no experience driving in North India, but I've driven multiple times through fog in Wisconsin and California. The dispersion of orange is far greater than the dispersion of red. I'd advise fog lamps over hazards. The only time I've used hazards is when I had to stop abruptly on the left most lane on a freeway (fast lane in US) as a car in front of me had a tire blast.

Last edited by landcruiser123 : 22nd January 2020 at 02:54.
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Old 22nd January 2020, 08:19   #41
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Re: Haryana Police promotes blinker usage in foggy conditions

I see this everyday here in the NCR, and it's painfully annoying. Imagine driving on city roads with traffic (where cars drive slowly anyways, and visibility is not even an issue as cars are moving bumper to bumper), and with everyone having their blinkers on! You have no clue which car is going to turn which way (or not at all), and it's a distraction too. Blinkers all around you - feels like driving through strobe lights.
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Old 22nd January 2020, 08:49   #42
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Re: Haryana Police promotes blinker usage in foggy conditions

My experiences- these happened within the last month itself. In the highway.

1. Light rain, bunch of moving cars with hazards on.

2. Same rain, Bolero pickup parked on the fast lane, with left indicator on. Visibility 85%.

3. Lighter rain, Honda City traveling at 120+ kmph with hazards on. And the visibility was over 95%.

Our people seriously do need to get educated about these er- “hazards”

Edit- Bonus point: Using the hazards to indicate going straight ahead.

Last edited by TheHelix0202 : 22nd January 2020 at 08:54.
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Old 22nd January 2020, 09:02   #43
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Re: Haryana Police promotes blinker usage in foggy conditions

Delhi police doesn't promote it. In today morning's post, they suggest using blinkers when you need to stop because of dense fog.
Quote:
If the fog is too dense to continue, pull completely off the road and try to position your vehicle in a safe parking area. Turn on your emergency flashers, in addition to keeping on your low-beam headlights.
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Old 22nd January 2020, 14:51   #44
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Re: Haryana Police promotes blinker usage in foggy conditions

I understand that hazard lights shouldn't be used casually in fog or rains but the flip side of the coin is many cars don't have rear fog lamps.

With my experience of driving in fog, hazard lights are more noticeable than the tail lamps in dense fog. Although it may not be the best use of it but certainly a life saver in my opinion.
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Old 22nd January 2020, 17:53   #45
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Re: Haryana Police promotes blinker usage in foggy conditions

Well, something is better than nothing! I have a 2009 Jazz which has neither front nor rear fog lamps. I have to make myself more visible somehow, hence Hazard lamps are acceptable. I have certainly noticed on vehicles in front of me, the blinking amber lamps before I do the dull red glow of the rear parking lamps which are standard when headlamps are switched on. IMO, just be driving a tad more cautiously in fog so that we can avoid mishaps altogether.
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