[sgiitk]

I sometime think jokers think since the button may almost never be used, find something new to use it for!!!

Yesterday, i witnessed the heights of misusing the Hazard Lights.

Project Crashed. We were working till late night. Started to home by around 11 PM. Reached the famous slum type area in our city and i see a Moron Driving in the middle of the road with Hazard lights on.
- It wasn't Raining cats and dogs. Neither there was any fog/mist. Why did he turned Hazard lights on?

I think, when it downpours, turning on hazard lights is wrong, but still people do it, so it is a bit okay as we see tons of baboons doing this act.

Tried honking to get a side, so i could over take this Moron, but still he doesn't budge. I see driver side window rolled down. I couldn't hear any loud music. So, honked again. But no response.

I went on honking and waiting for side for almost a KM. Finally, the road got expanded to 3 lane and i overtook this moron. Wanted to see him why he was driving in the middle of the road.

That moron was DRUNK like hell and i see him. He was not at all in control. In order to safeguard himself and his car, he has turned Hazard lights on. Finally, i have no words to say about this person. Negligent, Irresponsible, sense less, words are least appropriate to describe this man.

May God bless Mother India.

[alpha1]

Originally Posted by Samba

First let me clear one thing that am not in favor of using hazard lamps in rain nor do i support it.

Now am attaching the video below. One thing i noticed that in this heavy rain the vehicle who were using the hazard lamps were visible much prominently from a good distance rather than the vehicles who were not using. Though against the law but for our own safety is it advisable to use the hazard lamp in this kind of heavy down pour? If you see the video you will understand the intensity of the rain. We never know in what speed a vehicle is coming behind. Specially i have seen Volvo's in West Bengal doing 100+ speeds in heavy rains too.

One of my friend also said the exact same thing while driving through the Pune-Mumbai expressway inside the tunnels.

He said it is dark and the visibility is low, and hence I put on the hazard flasher.

I said: what do you do during the normal night driving? (The visibility in the tunnel cannot be worse than driving on a moonless night on a highway)
Turn on the headlamps and the rear tail light. That is all which is required for you to indicate your presence to the vehicles ahead and behind of you.
Do you ever put on hazard lights?

So why can't we practice this every time we encounter a situation where visibility is low. Imagine it is night time and take necessary action.

[Samba]

Originally Posted by Samurai

If you hit a little deeper puddle at that speed, you will have zero visibility for next few seconds, and it can severely damage the car underneath. Don't underestimate the impact of water at highspeed.

Thanks for sharing, point noted.

Originally Posted by Samurai

Well, you may have a point there. Vehicles doing 80-100kmph in heavy rains may as well benefit from hazard light. Don't think I will want to visit WB in monsoon then.

But i have to drive over here itself. You being a vastly experienced driver any pointer or tips from you regarding this? Any alternatives for the hazard lamp as its illegal?

Originally Posted by Samurai

I still can't drive on the wrong side, park in front of a gate, park near a corner or curve, park in a way that obstructs traffic, flash lights to pass via wrong lane, hazard lights in rain, overtake on a blind curve, cut another vehicle.... in general I can't drive or park dangerously on purpose because the lessons are drilled into my head. I feel stupid when I break them. So I rarely break them. Have to say it has made me lot safer on these roads full of ignorant and discourteous drivers.

Yes i also follow all the above points you mentioned. Being a Bhpian and flaunting a Team bhp sticker i have a responsibility of not ruining the name of Team bhp by bad driving and i always try to set good example to others.

In the above video if you see i have also not used the hazard lamps, infact i was telling that these guys do not know the basic rules. But when i came back and scrutinized the video this point came to my mind.

I do have a habit of taking video's while driving (The video is always taken by the passenger not by me while driving, and mainly done in leisure drives) so after coming back i can see and analyze the risk factors or what mistakes i have done. So next time it can be rectified.

Just for example i got a point from you that if i hit a water filled puddle that can damage the underneath of the car we should not underestimate the impact of water.

Originally Posted by alpha1

Turn on the headlamps and the rear tail light. That is all which is required for you to indicate your presence to the vehicles ahead and behind of you.

Yes thats what i do , i turn on the side lights and fog lamps and my tail lamp is automatically on. Till now i have never used hazard lamps in rains. I just raised the topic as the hazard lamps attract the attention of the driver driving behind you a bit earlier. I don't feel comfortable if a bigger vehicle is coming behind me in high speed in less visibility. I always fear if they miss out. Hence i raised the question. If not the hazard lamp any alternative suggestion's are also most welcome which can be a bit more visible than our cars tail lamp. In night the tails lamps act fine but in day time heavy down pour there visibility reduces significantly. In that case the hazard lamps are more visible. You can just check that in the video. There are cars with only tail lamps on and few with hazard lamps on.

Will putting a DRL strip below the number plate make sense? Once the visibility is regained we can switch it off. In less visibility it wont create glare to the eye's of the rear vehicles driver too. Plus if we put it in a lower level it wont directly disturb the rear cars driver.

[mallumowgli]

Originally Posted by Samba

I just raised the topic as the hazard lamps attract the attention of the driver driving behind you a bit earlier. I don't feel comfortable if a bigger vehicle is coming behind me in high speed in less visibility. I always fear if they miss out. Hence i raised the question.

All said and done, and in spite of you driving along at a sedate 30 kmph, you find that a Volvo is bearing down on you at 100kmph - you need to do whatever it takes to get out of harm's way. If hazard lights are to be used for a short duration, then so be it!!

[::CMS::]

Originally Posted by mallumowgli

If hazard lights are to be used for a short duration, then so be it!!

This will put you more into danger than making your vehicle visible to others. Instead use headlights in dip or fog lamps (rear and front) if available. How the other vehicles know if you are changing the lane with hazard lights on? Hazard lights are supposed to be in a stationary vehicle or while it is being towed.

[mallumowgli]

Originally Posted by ::CMS::

This will put you more into danger than making your vehicle visible to others. Instead use headlights in dip or fog lamps (rear and front) if available. How the other vehicles know if you are changing the lane with hazard lights on? Hazard lights are supposed to be in a stationary vehicle or while it is being towed.

The same logic you use when you switch on the hazard lights momentarily during emergency braking situations.

[::CMS::]

Originally Posted by mallumowgli

The same logic you use when you switch on the hazard lights momentarily during emergency braking situations.

There is a huge difference b/n momentarily and continuously switching on. Moreover during the emergency braking, signal lights doesnt have any significance.

[mallumowgli]

Originally Posted by ::CMS::

There is a huge difference b/n momentarily and continuously switching on. Moreover during the emergency braking, signal lights doesnt have any significance.

Sir - My post was clear about momentarily switching on the hazard lights

[::CMS::]

Originally Posted by mallumowgli

Sir - My post was clear about momentarily switching on the hazard lights

Agree, he saw you with your "momentary signal", then...?
Are you expecting him to crawl behind you @30km/hr. If I was on the right lane, I would have signalled him with a left turn signal and change the lane and allow him to pass.
FYI, RED light is more visible than AMBER light for "shorter and longer distance and any weather conditions". Thats the reason people say use HL's so that the rear lights are switched on.

[Samba]

Originally Posted by ::CMS::

FYI, RED light is more visible than AMBER light for "shorter and longer distance and any weather conditions". Thats the reason people say use HL's so that the rear lights are switched on.

Source- Wikipedia

In Canada and the US the rear signals may be amber or red. American regulators and other proponents of red rear turn signals have historically asserted there is no proven safety benefit to amber signals, though it has been recognized since the 1960s that amber turn signals are more quickly spotted than red ones

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automotive_lighting

Quoting from another website.

Should you use your hazards in bad weather?

Though there’s no definitive right or wrong answer (unless it’s illegal in your state), there are some things to keep in mind. Your hazards may make you more visible in the rain or snow and alert other drivers that you’re traveling below the speed limit. But they may also put you at risk. In some cars, turn signals are disabled when the hazards are turned on. And even if they work, it can be hard to distinguish a turn signal from a hazard light. If drivers can’t anticipate your next move, your accident risk could increase.

In India we have to deal with so many uneducated drivers who drive really fast in poor visibility so to attract there attention is installing DRL on the rear bumper or just installing an amber light which wont flash (constant) can be a solution? Not only in case of heavy rain, even during fog it can work out as well. We have seen so many bad accidents at Yamuna expressway during fog which included high end cars equipped with rear fog lamps. Am not in favor of using hazard lights illegally but am looking for a safer alternative which can alert the car behind better than our stock tail lamps.

[Sheel]

I will put the blame on manufacturers and Government laws of not equipping the cars with rear & front fog lamps.

But, because we don't know (correct) the use of hazard lamps, we will have another thread - Too bright rear fog lamps are a distraction/irritation blah blah..

Unless & until issuing of driving licenses are made stricter with some course/teaching etc, you can hope to drive in the same scenario.

But, this hazard gets my goat.

[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by Sheel

But, because we don't know (correct) the use of hazard lamps, we will have another thread - Too bright rear fog lamps are a distraction/irritation blah blah..

Back to Back drives on last 3 weekends in Rainy and foggy conditions and couple of like minded friends were discussing on how effective really are the fog lights (mainly the rear ones) that you can easily and distinctively notice even a car with the darkest shade ahead of you from a distance.

At the same time, the Hazards do provide better indication than the tail lamps due to the color and intensity but we have too many misleading situations that I am totally against the use of Hazards unless its a vehicle getting towed or stationary.

Even before we say Rear fog lamps will take care of safety in bad visibility conditions, I am of the strong opinion that even though you don't wash your dirty car, please spend a liter of water and wet your hands to clean all the tail lamps and the fog lights too. It makes a tremendous difference to the tailing traffic.

[SnakemanJohny]

Originally Posted by nishantbhatia84

Wednesday July 2nd 2014 -- Had an arguement about this with a follow motorist at the signal, to my shock he told me that he did use his turn indicator before changing lane - when i reminded him that he has his hazards on and hence the lane change indicator doesnt help, he just said 'sorry!'
My request to all, please educate as many people as you can about NOT using hazard light except for when it is actually required!!

Did something similar unintentionally one day, having stopped on the wayside to ask directions, switched on the hazard lights. After obtaining instructions about how to find our destination, forgot to switch off the hazards (the dash lights in a Gypsy are almost invisible in strong sun).
Indicated a right turn and took it in front of a car coming head on, wondering why it wasn't slowing down ! Only when shade from the trees overhead showed me that the hazard warning was on, I realised we had a narrow miss and it was all my fault !
I too agree that hazards should be used only to show a broken down vehicle, or an accident site not visible to those behind, or when being towed. For sudden and heavy braking, the brake lights alone should suffice. If I have time to switch on the blinkers in spite of the sudden-ness, I use that time to rapidly tap the brakes (manual ABS!), adding another system to the general confusion !

Though most people in and around Calcutta have started using hazards for rain, luckily the use for going straight has not caught on, thank God!
For fog or rain, I always use the sidelights in case visibility is slightly low, or fog/low-beam heads if fog or rain is heavier.

And no matter how many trucks and long-distance buses indicate with the right indicator that I should overtake, I first make sure the idiot has no right turn to make ! Lucky this hasn't become a rage with private cars here yet. And I always indicate with my left that I am about to move to that side so that the other can overtake. Because, as the distinguished gentleman 'sgiitk' and some others have pointed out, the golden rule is to show what you are going to do, though this seems contrary to the hand signal for overtaking -- where you ask the other driver to come up.

[GrammarNazi]

Even I get irritated by people simply switching hazard lights ON while driving in rains or fog, but NOT to such a great extent that I can't bear but to disdainfully express disgust online.

The fault is also partly in the placement of the hazard light switch, IMO it encourages people to use it incorrectly. Being literally at arms length, it'll probably be tempting for people who feel its a light simply indicating 'Caution'. Also, there's nothing written on it (like on ORVMs).

And forget about reading the manual, we all know how people in India get their licenses. So I'm never surprised to see this mistake.

Maybe car-makers should put the switch in a different place so as to make it more obvious to indicate that its only meant to be switched on incase of a hazard.