I don't understand, "Why not?" in the U.S. version (rear fog light)

[Terry Stibal]

That is the backup light on the Scion xB. And, I might add, not a particularly effective one from the driver's point of view...

[High Side]

I have seen rear fogs on Mercedes, Mini and Volvo here in the U.S. They are quite effective. They are an intense red light on the driver's rear of the car. Wouldn't hurt anything to run them all the time, except for using up the life span of the bulb. The light lets traffic approaching from the rear know where the left rear of the car in front of them is. And yes, that Nissan's light at the lower left rear is the back up light.

[Mike T]

If driving in Europe with greater than 50 metres visibility with a rear fog light on, the driver would get a head spinning fine if spotted by police.

My former Peugeot 405 and Mercedes both had/have rear fog lights but they were/are used properly.

The number of numb-nuts drivers here with Volvos, BMWs, Mercedes and Audis (mostly Audis and Volvos though) that have them on all the time is mind-blowing. It is just another reminder about how poor driving standards are on this continent, just like the lack of lane discipline, which makes high speed limits impossible in North America. Rant over.

[SmartJoeMN]

My Audi 90 has a rear fog and it is really bright, I would use it in heavy snow falls just so people could see me.

[epbrown]

My "why not" is the turbo, especially for the Brabus models.

[Mike T]

+1 on the Turbo!

[jmatero]

Mercedes, BMW, Volvo, Jag, Saab, Mini all have then in the US. It is essentially the power of a break light on either the left side or center and the point is when driving in fog, the car behind you sees you. It works VERY well and is the law in Europe. If nothing else, I'd like the switch to fill the blank in the dash. LOL

[limey]

Originally Posted by High Side

Wouldn't hurt anything to run them all the time, except for using up the life span of the bulb. The light lets traffic approaching from the rear know where the left rear of the car in front of them is. And yes, that Nissan's light at the lower left rear is the back up light.

Sorry but that is plain wrong. They are distracting and irritating for driver's behind you and they make the brake lights harder to differentiate.

Given the IQ level of the typical US Driver, I am glad they aren't on more cars over here.

[High Side]

I'm not sure the lights being irritating is not a good thing. To me irritation in this case would be because the car would be very visible. Remember, we drive a very small automible. Being visible is a very good thing. I can't back down on that. For example, my other ride is a Harley Street Glide. After being mowed down by a truck in 1998 I have learned the importance of being visible. I run extra lights front and rear (yes, within legal limits). I will soon be ordering what some call an irritant... pulsing upper break light for my smart.

[Kermit]

I guess we should drive around with our bright lights on all the time too, pretty much to the point oncoming traffic has to shield their eyes. Had to do that with the bikes that drive with their brights and extra lights on the front, almost to the point I mowed them down because I was shielding my eyes....squinting.

The rear fogs have that much intensity. They are VERY bright. Foggy weather diffuses the brightness quite a bit, driving around with them on in clear weather is just too much. Not just my opinion, if you do that in Europe where they are standard, you'll be ticketed.