[raj_5004]

Originally Posted by gkveda

So, it is definitely a hazardous situation and hence, switch on hazardous lights(They are meant for hazardous situations, anyways)

EDIT: I have seen several cars do this on long drives and highways while raining heavily. So, I also started this as standard practice around 3 years back

As far as I know, hazard lights are only to be used when the car is stationary.

It has become a new trend now, as you rightfully pointed out, to drive with hazards on in foggy or wet conditions. But I feel this practice is incorrect.

Out on the highways, when you see a car with hazards on, you can immediately identify that the car is stationary and swerve out of it's way or reduce speed accordingly. When all cars are incorrectly driving with hazards, you will not be able to spot a car which is stationary and has hazards on. Such a car will easily go unnoticed in the herd of cars driving with hazards and is an accident pile up waiting to happen.

If you want to get noticed in the rain, simply switch on your headlights. Your headlights and tail lights and bright enough for other road users to spot you. In heavy fog, use front and rear fog lights, that is what it is for.

Let's just keep hazard lights for it's intended purpose - to warn other drivers of a "hazard", that is - a stationary car.

Annoyingly, this trend has started in Dubai, mostly with Indian drivers. Although it seldom rains here, I see a lot of drivers using hazard lights in foggy conditions. Problem is, in Dubai, drivers also use hazards momentarily to indicate panic braking or to warn drivers behind them that they are braking hard. This is useful as the average speeds here are quite high. Now imagine the mess when everyone has turned on the hazards in low visibility conditions leaving drivers behind them totally confused....

[vidyanand]

Originally Posted by gkveda

So, it is definitely a hazardous situation and hence, switch on hazardous lights(They are meant for hazardous situations, anyways)

My concern was that, this does not mean 'I have switched on the hazards so I can drive anywhere/however' like he was on bang middle of the road between 2 lanes.
It may be justified in a zero visibility scenario but then you should slow down in your lane rather than leaving no space for other.

[swissknife]

Originally Posted by raj_5004

As far as I know, hazard lights are only to be used when the car is stationary.

~~~~
When all cars are incorrectly driving with hazards, you will not be able to spot a car which is stationary and has hazards on. Such a car will easily go unnoticed in the herd of cars driving with hazards and is an accident pile up waiting to happen.

Very true. Those are "hazzard lights" and meant for indicating a hazzard on the road. It is certainly not to be used by a vehicle in motion, unless one is exceptionally slow moving on a highway (stuck in low gears for instance) or being towed.

I also see a considerable number of people using the hazzad lights to indicate that they are proceeding straight at a cross road!!! I wonder who ever taught them that!

[gkveda]

Originally Posted by raj_5004

As far as I know, hazard lights are only to be used when the car is stationary.

I think this is our assumption only. Hazard does not mean it needs to be stationary. For example, A slow moving tractor on a highway can still be hazardous for a high speed car moving on same track.

During rains, due to low visibility, cars usually go slow compared to normal highway speed. If there are several such cars, then, it only means that there are several such hazards on Road and gives more caution to the speed drivers to drive carefully. Once driver is careful, it does not make difference between slow moving car and parked car. This does not give any signal to get confused as to which is hazardous and which is NOT.

Again, I know there can be different opinion here.

Off topic: There is a new rule that head light should be ON always on Bikes (Day time as well) and the switch itself is removed.
This is just to increase the attention of others on the two wheelers.

If the above logic (Hazard logic) is used in the above example, then, if all the two wheelers switches ON the headlight ALWAYS, then, where is the question of extra focus?

[TorqueyTechie]

Originally Posted by gkveda

I think this is our assumption only. Hazard does not mean it needs to be stationary. For example, A slow moving tractor on a highway can still be hazardous for a high speed car moving on same track.

During rains, due to low visibility, cars usually go slow compared to normal highway speed. If there are several such cars, then, it only means that there are several such hazards on Road and gives more caution to the speed drivers to drive carefully. Once driver is careful, it does not make difference between slow moving car and parked car. This does not give any signal to get confused as to which is hazardous and which is NOT.

Nah, its not an assumption but the accepted norm all over the world about its usage. I remember having to answer this question during my DL test in US as well.

Couple of articles mentioning the right usage of hazards here and here.

One of the valid point against usage of hazards during rain is it would be difficult to judge when an actual vehicle is stationary because of some issue as all the others would be driving with the hazard lights on.

If its hazardous then why drive. Find a suitable safe place to park away from the roads and wait until it is fit to drive.

[sandx]

Originally Posted by TorqueyTechie

Nah, its not an assumption but the accepted norm all over the world about its usage. I remember having to answer this question during my DL test in US as well.

True that. I think it has become sort of a norm. I stayed at Pune for quite some time and every trip that I took on the Mumbai - Pune Expressway either to go to Mumbai or the other spots in the vicinity one would notice that most of the yellow plate registered vehicles would start blinking the hazard lights when passing through the tunnels and after seeing them, all other cars would start doing the same.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Oh my god, the hazard light controversy again.

Hazzard lights indicate a hazard. That's all. I hate people talking in punctuation, but... Period!

You can be moving, or stationary. If you need to warn people about something: hazard lights.

What possible justification is there for the must-be-stationary argument? It makes about as much sense as saying that the car must be stationery

Wrong use of hazard lights: they don't mean "I'm not going left or right, I'm going straight." They should not be kept on when surrounding traffic has got the point, eg, traffic behind has caught up.

[nagarjun]

If hazard lights are used while the vehicle is moving, how do they indicate a lane change or a turn. People have to understand that there are already lights in the back(normal red, fog, brake etc) to warn the vehicles behind about their presence.
But unfortunately, it has become a norm and I don't see a way out of this. Its difficult to make so many people unlearn this habit.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by nagarjun

If hazard lights are used while the vehicle is moving, how do they indicate a lane change or a turn

Turn them off.

They should not be on for very long anyway.

(I'm not saying that I've never forgotten)

[TorqueyTechie]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

Hazzard lights indicate a hazard. That's all. I hate people talking in punctuation, but... Period!

You can be moving, or stationary. If you need to warn people about something: hazard lights.

What possible justification is there for the must-be-stationary argument? It makes about as much sense as saying that the car must be stationery

Well this is the reason there is a lot of discrepancy in the way hazard is being used ain't it. Each one will interpret a hazard in a different way . For you driving in rain might be a hazard while for another it might be driving at night. That's why many people (and sometimes by law mandate) follow the stationary/broken down/being towed situation to use hazards and not according to everyone's whim and fancy!

I prefer to use the hazard only during these instances and not otherwise. Peace!

[swissknife]

Spotted this biker who was texting while riding around a curve, this morning near near the Defense colony, Chennai.

[gkveda]

Originally Posted by TorqueyTechie

Well this is the reason there is a lot of discrepancy in the way hazard is being used ain't it. Each one will interpret a hazard in a different way . For you driving in rain might be a hazard while for another it might be driving at night. That's why many people (and sometimes by law mandate) follow the stationary/broken down/being towed situation to use hazards and not according to everyone's whim and fancy!

I prefer to use the hazard only during these instances and not otherwise. Peace!

I agree about multiple interpretations. But, whatever way people interpret, the message is simple. "JUST BE CAREFUL" The very purpose of hazardous light is to indicate people to BE Careful.

So, it does not matter what people interpret after seeing hazardous lights.

[raj_5004]

Originally Posted by gkveda

I agree about multiple interpretations. But, whatever way people interpret, the message is simple. "JUST BE CAREFUL" The very purpose of hazardous light is to indicate people to BE Careful.

So, it does not matter what people interpret after seeing hazardous lights.

Exactly my point.

And if hazards and left on for a long time or just used at expressway speeds at each one's whims and fancies, drivers will subconsciously ignore it and it can be fatal in the event of an actual hazard.

Most driver training programs in countries with good driving manners do not allow the use of hazards, expect to indicate a stationary vehicle or one which is potentially dangerous in that particular scenario. That does not include using hazards in rain or fog just to make your presence felt!

Anyways, we are deviating from the topic, so let's leave it at this. To each his own, until India has clearly stated laws about this.

[Guite]

I am going to jump in on the hazard light topic because it is something I have always felt strongly about. It is very mush on topic because wrong usage tantamount to dangerous driving.

From carkeys.co.uk "...the Highway Code (of UK) states that they may be used when your vehicle is stationary, to warn that it is temporarily obstructing traffic. It also states that hazard warning lights should not be used while driving or being towed."

It is dangerous to use hazard light while moving because due to such usage people stop associating it with a stationary vehicle. Recently there was a video circulating on Whatsapp of a pile up on a foggy day, purportedly on Yamuna expressway. it could be any other expressway in India. More vehicles kept hitting and joining the pile up at 10-20 second interval. This could have been avoided by correct usage of hazard light:-
1. Those who are in the pile up and are now stationary should have immediately put on their hazard light. None did.
2. Conditional to above point being met, drivers behind should be able to associate flashing hazard lights with the vehicles in front being stationary in the middle of the highway.

With correct usage of hazard light subsequent pile up could have been avoided or minimised.

It's pitiful that even traffic police encourage use of hazard light while on the move in foggy or low visibility weather. Friends, please turn on your headlight in foggy or low visibility weather, not the hazard light.

[sparky@home]

On the topic of hazard lights, drivers do exactly what they think is right, what is my concern is that I have observed many a times people tend to put off the hazard lights, and invariably do turns without any indication. Now that is a major hazard, I have had close encounters due to this.