Driving through fog in France: rules and penalties for infractions
Many vehicles are now equipped with special fog lights
These powerful lights can only be turned on at certain times
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Mornings in many areas of France have been foggy recently - particularly in the north - and in some cases the fog has remained in place for much of the day.
This is not enough for state forecaster Météo France to issue official warnings, but there are rules that drivers need to be aware of related to foggy conditions.
These include a drop in speed limit linked, of course, to reduced visibility.
Read more: Do adverse weather conditions affect driving rules in France?
There are also rules on headlight and fog light usage. If drivers fail to follow them, they could face a fine.
Improper use of fog lights
Whilst most vehicles will have three levels of power on their headlights, some newer vehicles are also fitted with ‘fog’ headlights – usually one at the back and two at the front.
Unlike headlights, they are not a legal requirement.
They are usually placed below the headlights on a car, as their aim is to cut through mist directly in the vehicle’s path.
As the name states, these fog lights should only be used when there is fog around.
Front-facing fog headlights should also be turned on during snow and heavy rain to improve driver visibility directly in front of the vehicle.
If in a rural area, you can also use them in addition to your headlights (to improve visibility), but only on roads difficult to drive through, such as a narrow, winding mountain path.
Rear-facing fog lights can only be used during fog or heavy snow, but not during any other weather condition or when driving through difficult terrain.
Rear fog lights can cause rain droplets to shimmer, dazzling other drivers and potentially causing an accident, which is why they cannot be turned on during general rainfall.
If you use fog lights outside of these conditions, you are liable to a €135 fine.
In addition, advice is to not use your full headlight beams during fog, and to instead use fog lights if you have them.
The powerful beam lights up water droplets in the fog, which can reduce visibility.
Read more: What the new red lines on these French motorways mean
