Autumn is just around the corner: the days are getting shorter, the weather – although the summer was not too good either – is getting colder and the chance of fog is increasing. The latter means that you may have to turn on the fog lights again, but what about the rules surrounding the use of these lights?
You sometimes see them driving: motorists who use their fog lamps at the front as a kind of daytime running lights. That is emphatically not allowed. In principle, you are only allowed to use your low beam, unless there is dense or very dense fog. Objective criteria have been established for this by the legislator. When visibility is less than 200 meters, or in dense fog, the fog lamps at the front may be switched on. For the rear fog light, you may only use it in very dense fog. Visibility is then less than 50 meters. During heavy rainfall, the use of fog lights is expressly prohibited in the Netherlands. The idea behind this is that a vehicle behind may be blinded by the reflection of the bright light in the rain.
Are you using the fog light incorrectly? Then the police can fine you €140. Fog lights at the front are not required by law, the rear fog light is on passenger cars built after December 31, 1997. The mandatory rear fog light also applies to trailers and caravans.
So you are not allowed to use fog lights here…
Neighboring countries
The rules are slightly different in our neighboring countries. In Belgium, vehicles can be registered as a car for daily use, or as an old-timer. With a classic car, fog lights are only required if the car was originally equipped with them, but in daily use every car must be equipped with one or two rear fog lights. Front fog lamps are – just like in the Netherlands – not mandatory. In Belgium, the rules regarding the use of fog lamps are somewhat broader. For example, there is no distance criterion for the front fog lamps: they may already be used in rain, fog or snow. The rear fog lamp may be used when visibility is less than 100 meters. This also includes extreme weather conditions.
At our eastern neighbors, the rear fog light may only be used if visibility is less than 50 meters. In that case, a maximum speed of 50 km/h also applies. For the front fog lamps, the rules are slightly broader: in urban areas they can be used at a visibility of 60-70 meters, outside the city at 100-120 meters and on the highway at less than 150 meters. The fine for improper use of the fog lamps is, incidentally, a lot lower in Germany than with us: €20. Also, fog lamps are not required by law in Germany on passenger cars.