Snow

[Buleste]

Like I say quite interesting. There's nothing like driving in thick fog with visibility of about 50-100 foot when all of a sudden something big and black either appears in the rear view mirror with no lights or in front of you. It made turning at junctions interesting. Every right turn you make you're bracing for an impact. And don't even talk to me about lack of indicators or the tail gating that was going on.

[Teho]

So you're still allowed to drive without the lights on there I take it? Must be ten years or so since it became law to have the lights on at all times here. On most new cars these days you can't turn them off even if you want to. You can reduce them to parking lights, but setting the switch to the off position is the same as the normal running lights position. The off position on the switches still say "off" or "0", I guess they just switch the relay for a different one on the cars that are shipped here.

Point was, from your complaints I guess making it law to have the lights on at all times here was a good idea.

[Harrison]

Don't forget that the weather conditions and amount of light in winter is much worse there than in the UK. When the weather is nice it isn't nice when cars driving towards you have their headlights on, as they dazzle you.

[Teho]

Not a problem here. But I think the legal limit to how bright the lights can be is also very low here compared to other places. Also the lights are capped below eyelevel so they don't shine directly into other people's faces. On the other hand, all cars are also equipped with high beams here. But these can only be used when there are no other cars in line of sight and there are no roadlights.

[Harrison]

It's the same here with dipped and high beams. However there seem to be a lot of cars with badly adjusted dipped beams, or you get idiots driving along the motorways with their full beams on and not seeming to realise (or care). How can you tell them to dip them? Or rear fog lights on when it's daylight! That really annoys me too.

What is the maximum brightness of headlights in Norway? In the UK factory standards are 55W for dipped, and 60W for full beams. However you can get non legal uprated aftermarket bulbs. I have Philips X-Treme Power bulbs in mine and they do create a much whiter light which is clearer at night and much brighter.

[Buleste]

It's the same here with dipped and high beams. However there seem to be a lot of cars with badly adjusted dipped beams, or you get idiots driving along the motorways with their full beams on and not seeming to realise (or care). How can you tell them to dip them? Or rear fog lights on when it's daylight! That really annoys me too.

What is the maximum brightness of headlights in Norway? In the UK factory standards are 55W for dipped, and 60W for full beams. However you can get non legal uprated aftermarket bulbs. I have Philips X-Treme Power bulbs in mine and they do create a much whiter light which is clearer at night and much brighter.

And great for targeting bunnies!!!!

[Teho]

How can you tell them to dip them?

Common method here is to flash your own high beams at them. Everybody does this, also at people who have no lights on at all. It's so common that if you meet someone who is flashing his lights, your gut reaction is to check your own. And the level of the dipped lights is one of the many things that are checked at the vehicle safety inspection or whatever you called it every two years. The car won't pass if that isn't fixed.

The limit of the light's brightness is determined by the amount of lux it gives off. Had to look this up, for the highbeams it's no more than 360 lux. And it actually doesn't say for the dipped ones. That's surprising, it's the official inspection guidelines I'm looking at and there doesn't appear to be a limit? Can't be right. There is a point there about "illegal bulbs" but it doesn't specify anything. Odd.

[Harrison]

You only have inspections every two years? In the UK we have something similar called the MOT and you have to have it done when your car reaches 3 years old, and then every year after that.

As for flashing your headlights at the other car. Yes, I try it, but most often it is ignored. It only works if an on coming car has his lights up and you flash them to turn them down. But flashing your headlights can also mean you are letting the on coming car through in the UK. Something which can get messy if UK drivers visit France where flashing an on coming car means you are coming through, and they should get out of your way! So you could be sat there all day if you flashed a Frenchman to let them by.