![]() | #11716 |
BHPian ![]() Join Date: Dec 2019 Location: Allahabad
Posts: 132
Thanked: 762 Times
| ![]() I too feel that it is okay to use hazard lights during rains. Going too much with the rules sometimes is just not fit for the scenario. This August, I encountered torrential rain driving on the Eastern Peripheral Expressway and noticed how cars/trucks (especially trucks) that had their hazard lights were much easier to notice than those who only had their tail lights on. I would rather switch on my hazard lights and be visible to fellow road users than keep them off to use as indicators and risk getting banged just cause I wasn't easily visible. Also, usually when it is raining heavily, people slow down and become extra aware of vehicles changing lanes. I didn't face any problem with vehicles changing lanes without indicators as everyone is much more aware of their surroundings and change lanes slowly compared to abrupt changes under normal conditions. Some people are saying that hazard lights are for extreme braking situations. Seriously, in an emergency situation who even remembers switching on their hazard lights while braking fast? ![]() It all happens in seconds! Yes, maybe after the emergency situation has passed and the driver is back to calmness, they may switch on the hazard lights but kind of defeats the purpose people are suggesting! This debate is similar to flashing lights while overtaking. IIRC, some members were telling that the rule is the incoming vehicle flashes the light to let the overtaking vehicle know that you may pass and I will let you pass while in India the meaning of flashing the lights is let me pass I won't brake for you! ![]() Honestly, the real one seems confusing and the Indian one is easy to understand and logical. Moreover, when all of India is using the Indian one (just like the hazard lights), don't be the odd one out to follow the book and end up in the ditch! |
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![]() | #11717 | |
BHPian ![]() Join Date: Dec 2019 Location: Allahabad
Posts: 132
Thanked: 762 Times
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Sir, do you use specs? Specs can also contribute to this problem that you mentioned if the power is not correct. Also using a sunglass during daytime rains help with the visibility quite a lot! My choice of words may seem disrespectful but that is not my intention at all. | |
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![]() | #11718 | |
Senior - BHPian ![]() | ![]() Quote:
First of all, a video is different from the human eye. Exposure on a camera automatically adjusts far quicker than the human eye is able to do so. No I do not use spectacles and yes I do know how to use my windshield wipers. Please conduct a proper experiment of your own before assuming everything is a-okay. Everything I have stated is pure fact no mucking about nor personal opinion and I encourage you to disprove it but do put some thought into your reasoning before doing so. If you believe there is nothing wrong in using hazard lights then please write a mail to all manufacturers outlining how they can save some money by encouraging their customers to use hazard lights instead of offering fog lamps. There is a reason why side markers, fog lamps and tail lamps are all static and do not flash. I feel India just needs another reason to be able to disco at this rate ![]() Last edited by IshaanIan : 22nd October 2021 at 14:37. | |
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![]() | #11719 | |
BHPian ![]() Join Date: Dec 2019 Location: Allahabad
Posts: 132
Thanked: 762 Times
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However, what you said may well be true when the traffic is also heavy and everyone has their hazards on. The scattering will get troublesome. But i didn't face any such difficulty in gauging distances. This can be mainly because the traffic was at most moderate and mostly sparse on the highway. Secondly, I was using UV sunglasses which may have helped in cutting the scattering. Will definitely keep in my mind to experiment what you said the next time i face heavy rains. ![]() | |
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![]() | #11720 | ||
BHPian Join Date: Jun 2019 Location: Pune
Posts: 234
Thanked: 816 Times
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I will repeat what I said in my earlier post. To each their own. | ||
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![]() | #11721 | ||
Senior - BHPian ![]() | ![]() Quote:
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![]() | #11722 | |
BHPian ![]() Join Date: Mar 2021 Location: Mumbai
Posts: 105
Thanked: 903 Times
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What we're discussing here is about bad drivers/bad driving habits in general and swerving/overtaking at high speeds with hazard lights on is something that falls under the bad driving category according to me. Indian road rules are full of gray areas and every situation will get different response as we all think and interpret things in a different way. I believe that all of us BHPians in general practice sensible driving ![]() | |
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![]() | #11723 | |||
BHPian ![]() Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Pune; Wales
Posts: 248
Thanked: 430 Times
| ![]() I would just like to chip in regarding the use of Hazard Lights when raining. The UK Highway Code mentions the following under section 4.116 (Lighting Requirements): Quote:
We can surely respect and appreciate this when developed countries with minimal accident rates and strict driving laws have this defined in law. Quote:
It is extremely possible to follow the rules and the law, and still be a safe driver and not 'end up in the ditch' as you have put it. Basic things like proper use of headlights, hazard lights, maintaining lane discipline and keeping a safe distance from the traffic ahead of you can go a long, long way to keeping you safe when driving. Quote:
At the end of the day, my friend, it is a personal decision whether we follow the law and safe driving practices. But the more we do it, the more others will be encouraged to do so, and the safer we all will be on the road. Last edited by s4ch : 22nd October 2021 at 17:55. | |||
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![]() | #11724 |
Distinguished - BHPian ![]() ![]() | ![]() Not exactly a bad driver or a rider. Just am unlucky reptile. A snake run over by a lorry. Thankfully it wasn't found by a two wheeler rider, who could have panicked and faced a fall. |
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![]() | #11725 |
BHPian ![]() Join Date: Mar 2019 Location: Pune
Posts: 399
Thanked: 752 Times
| ![]() Saw this genius watching a movie on his mobile when driving in heavy traffic. PS - I was riding pillion. |
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![]() | #11726 |
BHPian Join Date: Mar 2017 Location: Bangalore
Posts: 772
Thanked: 1,910 Times
| ![]() Hazard lights is a hazardous topic on TEAM-BHP ![]() https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/stree...rd-lights.html (Yet Another Incorrect New Use for Hazard Lights) Ideally to be used either on stationary cars or cars being towed. IMO, if we do use them in other scenarios like very heavy fog or extreme rainfall, overtaking and lane changing go out of the window and at drastically reduced speeds. If the situation demands/tempts you to either overtake or switch lanes, then the situation has improved and is closer to normalcy, thus no longer warrants usage of hazard lights ![]() Last edited by moralfibre : 22nd October 2021 at 23:03. Reason: Only two smileys permitted per post. |
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![]() | #11727 |
Senior - BHPian ![]() | ![]() This happened yesterday at Kollam Bypass during my night drive to Trivandrum. Trucker got an instant urge to pull over. He might have seen a tea shop or something even better ![]() |
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![]() | #11728 |
BHPian Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Chennai,Bangalo
Posts: 435
Thanked: 287 Times
| ![]() Hazard lights being used in rains is an option which may be used, but then when the person wants to turn , they should aptly remember the indicator will not override the hazard light. Also many a times people use hazard light at a division of roads to indicate they are going straight , add this to rains and well you will ![]() In monsoons there is always a thin film of water between the road and the tyre contact so it is pertinent to travel at a judged speed rather than turning the hazard lights , become a Schumacher and aquaplane oneself. |
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![]() | #11729 | ||
BHPian ![]() Join Date: Dec 2019 Location: Allahabad
Posts: 132
Thanked: 762 Times
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![]() I didn't mean it to that extreme but yes I get what you are trying to say. I do try to follow rules very diligently. It is just hazard lights usage has been a grey area for me for far too long and even the generally aware part of the normal public (like our parents, friends etc.) are not clear on what's the correct usage. What is worse still is that their incorrect usages also don't seem wrong and so people continue the same way, how will you correct something you didn't feel was wrong at the first place? At the end of the day, we are mere mortals, no matter how much we try somewhere or the other we will be letting convenience creep in, in place of the proper rule! I know this is what you wanted to correct with your post. Quote:
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![]() | #11730 | |
BHPian Join Date: Jun 2019 Location: Pune
Posts: 234
Thanked: 816 Times
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Quoting from below link. https://www.khou.com/article/news/ve...6-54ae4018bc0c “A driver operating a motor vehicle on a public road can use the hazard lights in inclement weather to proceed safely on the road to alert other drivers that they may be approaching, overtaking, or passing, or stopped on the side of the road,” In the US, it is legal in some and illegal in some states, and the situations in which it is legal vary form state to state. Below document from Texas even lists that as a tip when driving in fog. Again quoting from the below link https://ftp.dot.state.tx.us/pub/txdo...afety-tips.pdf Tips for Driving in Heavy Rain/Flood-Prone Areas • Be cautious when traveling through flood-prone areas. Flash floods can come rapidly and unexpectedly—within a few minutes or hours of excessive rainfall. Flash flooding is common in many areas of Texas, especially the Texas Hill Country. • Turn on your headlights and slow down, allowing extra distance for braking. • Never attempt to drive through flooded roadways. Water covering roadways may hide washed-out bridges or gouged-out roadbeds, and even in relatively shallow water, tires can act as flotation devices, lifting up big vehicles and sending them downstream. It takes only two feet of water to float a 3,000-pound car. Tips for Driving in Fog • Slow down and do not drive faster than your field of vision. Use windshield wipers and defroster as necessary to maximize visibility. • Increase following distance to ensure enough reaction time and stopping distance. When you use your brakes, don’t stop suddenly. • Turn on your lights, including your hazard lights. Use low beam headlights and fog lights if you have them. Do not use high beams. Last edited by ishan12 : 22nd October 2021 at 22:02. | |
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