Car lights can save lives

Columnist Andrew Gale talks cars and fog

TURN THEM ON: Andrew Gale is urging people to use their lights to boost safety. Picture: Tony Martin

WINTER in the Southern Downs is a great time, well if you can cop the cold. The days are usually glorious with only the odd grey day.

Another thing we seem to get a bit of, particularly after a change has come through, is a bit of fog... and sometimes much more than just a bit.

Last week we had a real 'pea-souper', the sort of fog I imagine that Jack the Ripper used to thrive in around the docks of London as he got up to his horrendous crimes.

Hopefully we don't get that type of issue ever again but the fog can bring a menace that has the potential to be every bit as lethal, and not just to Victorian-era 'ladies of the night'.

It has the potential to take out every one of us.

The problem is that cars can be very difficult to see in the fog and therefore difficult for others to see and safely interact with.

I know this might be a pretty simple thing to suggest, but given the frequency of occurrence it's probably one that needs to be spoken about.

It never ceases to amaze me how many people will drive around in the fog, and in other low-light conditions, with absolutely no lights on.

Several people have even remarked to me in the past couple of weeks that they have had near-misses with vehicles that fail to put on even basic park lights while traversing our highways and byways in these conditions of restricted visibility.

Maybe it's just a lack of knowledge or common sense.

Some people have even told me they don't see the point of turning on the headlights in fog because they don't penetrate the fog very well and sometimes they even reflect back in their faces and then they can't see anything at all .

I understand what they are saying but it's not just all about you, so as a rule, don't use high-beam lights in fog but at least use low beam and those low-mounted 'yuppie lights' if you have them.

See, one thing people forget is that we don't just have lights on our cars to help us see. We also use lights so people can see us. Yes, us! So they can see us.

This is a particularly good feature when we approach intersections where people need to give way to us and even if people are coming up behind us.

In that case our tail lights and brake lights are particularly useful.

I've tried to come up with some other reasons why people don't want to turn on their lights. Maybe it has something to do with the rising price of electricity?

If that is the case, please be assured that your car lights are not connected to your electric light bill so use them as much as you want.

In any case, if in doubt, please turn them on.

Tragedy can strike any of us and precious lives can be taken in the blink of an eye.

So, lights on.

Even if they don't help you see, they just might help you be seen. After all, life is not a dress rehearsal and you're dead for a bloody long time.