Visibility, weather and lights
| When it applies | What you show or do | Where it goes wrong | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dipped beam | At NIGHT always, and by DAY as soon as visibility is seriously impaired. Two cases, one obligation. | Dipped beam — not sidelights and not daytime running lights. The rule expressly says “dimlicht”. | Relying on daytime running lights in rain. They shine only at the front; from behind the car stays dark, and that is exactly the side you are overtaken from. |
| Front fog lights | In FOG, SNOWFALL or RAIN that seriously impairs visibility. Rain is included here. | “May” — it is a right, not a duty. And in that case you need not show dipped beam: the fog light replaces it. | Using it as an extra light on top of dipped beam in clear weather. Without the weather conditions named, the provision gives no permission for it. |
| Rear fog light | ONLY in fog or snowfall limiting visibility to LESS THAN 50 METRES. Rain is not named here. | Here too “may”, not “must”. Fifty metres is roughly the gap between three lamp posts — a usable measure on the road. | Switching it on in heavy rain. The threshold is visibility and not the weather, and that is not sloppiness: in rain the rear fog light dazzles the car behind without adding anything. |
| Speed in poor visibility | Always — art. 19 has no weather condition, only visibility. | Drive so that you can stop within the distance you can SEE and that is CLEAR. At 50 metres of visibility that is considerably less than the permitted speed. | Following the tail lights ahead to “have something to see”. You are then driving on HIS visibility, not yours — and his brake light is closer than his stopping distance is long. |
| Trailer in poor visibility | The same two cases as for dipped beam: at night, and by day if visibility suffers badly. | Rear light, rear number-plate light AND the sidelight prescribed by the Regeling voertuigen. Three things, not one. | Assuming the car's lights suffice. The trailer has its own provision, and the number-plate light is what is most often forgotten on a detached trailer. |
| The windscreen itself | Always: the windscreen and the side windows beside the driver may show no damage or discolouration. And cars from after 30 September 1971 must have working demisting and defrosting. | Wait until the window is COMPLETELY clear before moving off — the installation is prescribed for exactly that. | Driving off through a peephole. That is not “slightly less view”: everything outside the hole does not exist for you, and that is where the cyclist comes from. |
The law itself
RVV1990 art. 32 lid 1RVV1990 art. 33RVV1990 art. 34 lid 1RVV1990 art. 34 lid 2RVV1990 art. 19RegelingVoertuigen art. 5.2.42 lid 1RegelingVoertuigen art. 5.2.44RegelingVoertuigen art. 5.1.1 lid 1
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