Your pet peeve, technical or otherwise.

[PlainName]

Rear fog lights.

What's wrong those? My car has them, they're useful for increasing visibility in fog or heavy rain which is not a rare occurrence here. I actually find it strange that American cars don't have them, at least none that I'm aware of.

The problem is that people unused to them don't realise they are on, so in non-fog conditions, following traffic is confronted by this very bright red light.

This.

When I come up behind a car with fogs on, have I run into the back of it? No, so why does it need spotlights shining in my eyes? All they do is create a wall of red, obscuring everything else, and persuade me to look away. If the driver stamps on his brakes I will be slow to react  because the change of intensity from the brake lights is non-existent.

Further, if you're driving at a speed that you might run into the car ahead, you're going too fast and will plough through unlit obstacles your lights would otherwise show up. And being able to see that car much further ahead encourages faster driving because the driver thinks he can see much better than the actuality.

They should either be banned or turn off automatically as a vehicle arrives behind. Or have a dash indicator light of equal brightness. Preferably flashing.

[vk6zgo]

The problem is that people unused to them don't realise they are on, so in non-fog conditions, following traffic is confronted by this very bright red light.

That's hardly the fault of the feature that people don't know what the switch is for. Mine clearly lays out the purpose in the owner's manual.

You are the one in a thousand people who read the owner's manual?
It seems that many cars are left with this function on as default as they come out of the dealer.

[mfro]

You are the one in a thousand people who read the owner's manual?

Which brings us to the next annoyance. I remember the good old days when owner's manuals contained valuable information.

Nowadays they appear to be written by lawyers and are mainly "you can't sue us for anything" one-sided contracts.

My car came with a 300+ pages book. The real information probably fits in about 50 pages. The rest is "take your fingers out before you slam the door", "don't forget your kids in the car" and "don't smoke when fueling up" hazard warnings. Recommended problem solving strategies are reduced to "contact your authorized dealership".

[tom66]

My car came with a 300+ pages book. The real information probably fits in about 50 pages. The rest is "take your fingers out before you slam the door", "don't forget your kids in the car" and "don't smoke when fueling up" hazard warnings. Recommended problem solving strategies are reduced to "contact your authorized dealership".

The most ridiculous warning my car's manual had was to avoid the car breaking down, because if your car breaks down you might do so in cold weather and freeze to death.  I'll make sure to schedule my breakdowns for the summer.

[PlainName]

The problem is that people unused to them don't realise they are on

I think a bigger problem is that the people that use them can't see them. They look at the car in front, which doesn't have them on, and think all is fine. Hell, those lights at the back will save them from anything, so must be better than not having them. They've never looked in their mirror and wondered why everything back to the horizon is bright red, or what that might be doing to the driver behind.

[rsjsouza]

In all the cars I had that featured fog lights, the dashboard indicator was a very clear orange light completely distinct from the regular beam lights (usually green), so hardly unnoticeable.

[rant]
However, just like with anything done using heavy machinery such as a multi-ton car, attention is paramount but a rare commodity in this world of adults with five-year-old attention spans, which can't either be bothered to read the manual or get a proper time to get familiarized with its controls. So we get these idiots that use fog lights or high beams constantly and can't be bothered to pay attention to their own dashboard.
Another case is how many drivers are completely ignorant of basic maintenance such as replacing a flat tire or inspecting the fluids.
[/rant]

[PlainName]

In all the cars I had that featured fog lights, the dashboard indicator was a very clear orange light completely distinct from the regular beam lights (usually green), so hardly unnoticeable.

As I tried to say above, the drivers are no doubt fully aware that the lights are on. In fact, I saw some of them turn the damn things on after travelling some way without. It's just that they don't appreciate the effect it has, which is why I suggest the indicator should be able to sear their eyeballs rather than just being noticeable.

[rsjsouza]

In all the cars I had that featured fog lights, the dashboard indicator was a very clear orange light completely distinct from the regular beam lights (usually green), so hardly unnoticeable.

As I tried to say above, the drivers are no doubt fully aware that the lights are on. In fact, I saw some of them turn the damn things on after travelling some way without. It's just that they don't appreciate the effect it has, which is why I suggest the indicator should be able to sear their eyeballs rather than just being noticeable.

I get it. Instead of lack of attention, it is a false perception of increased safety. 

[james_s]

This.

When I come up behind a car with fogs on, have I run into the back of it? No, so why does it need spotlights shining in my eyes? All they do is create a wall of red, obscuring everything else, and persuade me to look away. If the driver stamps on his brakes I will be slow to react  because the change of intensity from the brake lights is non-existent.

Further, if you're driving at a speed that you might run into the car ahead, you're going too fast and will plough through unlit obstacles your lights would otherwise show up. And being able to see that car much further ahead encourages faster driving because the driver thinks he can see much better than the actuality.

They should either be banned or turn off automatically as a vehicle arrives behind. Or have a dash indicator light of equal brightness. Preferably flashing.

Maybe the ones in modern cars are brighter than mine, I don't know, mine use the same type of bulb as the brake lights and all cars have those. They're intended to be used in heavy fog when visibility is low, primarily on the highway and such, not in city traffic where there's a car right behind you. I don't know if you get heavy fog where you are but we do from time to time and it can be quite difficult to see the tail lights on a car ahead of you. Driving more slowly brings its own problem, that someone will slam into the back of you. It would be nice if people drove slowly enough that they could see unlit obstacles but in the real world they usually don't. They are pretty rare here but always seemed like a great idea, the handful of cars that have them stand out nicely in low visibility, I don't recall ever being in a situation where I'm blinded right behind a car. Some regular brake lights and turn signals are obnoxiously bright now though.

[tom66]

I get it. Instead of lack of attention, it is a false perception of increased safety. 

The number of people I see who leave their turn signal on for minutes after they have finished changing lanes, makes me think that many people do not check the dashboard of their car at all while driving.  I was behind a HGV driver who had their signal lit for a good 20 minutes.

Then again perhaps I should be happy that they use their signal at all. So many don't, that's a proper peeve of mine, it's so effortless and yet people can't be bothered.

[IDEngineer]

Rear fog lights.

I need to ask: REAR fog lights? Seriously? I've never seen those, never even heard of them before this thread. Who drives backwards fast and long enough to justify REAR fog lights?

I figured this was a typo but nobody has said anything, so I have to ask....

[IDEngineer]

Then again perhaps I should be happy that they use their signal at all.

I avoid using turn signals as a small gesture for environmentalism. It takes energy to power those lights, you know. The small things add up. 

[Bud]

Rear fog lights.

I need to ask: REAR fog lights? Seriously? I've never seen those, never even heard of them before this thread. Who drives backwards fast and long enough to justify REAR fog lights?

I figured this was a typo but nobody has said anything, so I have to ask....

I also never seen that, but just guessing if they are red lights that may help the following driver keep safe distance in foggy conditions. They are not for driving backwards methink.

[james_s]

However, just like with anything done using heavy machinery such as a multi-ton car, attention is paramount but a rare commodity in this world of adults with five-year-old attention spans, which can't either be bothered to read the manual or get a proper time to get familiarized with its controls. So we get these idiots that use fog lights or high beams constantly and can't be bothered to pay attention to their own dashboard.
Another case is how many drivers are completely ignorant of basic maintenance such as replacing a flat tire or inspecting the fluids.
[/rant]

My friend's wife ignored the low tire pressure warning, then ignored the weird handling and the noises and continued driving on a flat tire until the rim cut completely through the tire. Destroyed a nearly $1k wheel and a $250 tire because she was so intent on finishing her errands. I simply cannot relate to people like that at all, I don't think they should be allowed to drive.

[james_s]

Rear fog lights.

I need to ask: REAR fog lights? Seriously? I've never seen those, never even heard of them before this thread. Who drives backwards fast and long enough to justify REAR fog lights?

I figured this was a typo but nobody has said anything, so I have to ask....

They have been a standard feature on European cars for decades, the first time I saw them was when my parents bought a Volvo in 1986. They are just an additional red segment in the tail lamp clusters, often on just one side to reduce confusion, it's roughly the same as a brake light. It's a great feature when used properly, you're supposed to turn it on in thick fog, snow or other low visibility conditions so that cars approaching from the rear can see you. If you've never had the unpleasant experience of driving in thick fog it may not make a lot of sense, but I have and the rear fog lights work. Obviously (I thought) they're not for driving backwards, they're to help other drivers approaching from behind see you, not to help you see what's behind you.

[Black Phoenix]

My current pet peeve: SolidWorks. I am very much a novice at 3D modeling, but anything but a novice when it comes to computers and applications, including pro apps, and I have never, EVER had a program cause me frustration the way SolidWorks does.

In terms of anything vaguely graphical, I’ve learned lots of professional graphics design software (FreeHand, PageMaker, Quark, InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator, and more), Altium, Avid (pro video editing, back in the days when it ran only on custom hardware), Final Cut Pro, and rapid UI prototyping software.

I’m not afraid of complexity, having mastered all manner of other pro stuff back when I worked as a computer tech/consultant/system integrator.

But SolidWorks is doing my head in. Wild internal inconsistency, with things working sometimes, or not. Error messages that provide zero hints as to how to resolve the problem. Searching the web finds instructions… which don’t work. Official documentation referring to commands and user interface elements that don’t exist. Zooming seemingly designed by a moron. (I know, controlling 3D motion with a 2D input device is not trivial. But it doesn’t need to be brain-dead.) Using it is not only death by a thousand paper cuts, there’s also rusty razor blades hidden between the pages, and sometimes a dusting of itching powder that blows in your face just for fun.

All hyperbole aside, even my boss, who’s fairly experienced with SolidWorks, runs into oddities, and has been unable to explain or resolve some errors and problems I’ve encountered. (And I’ve seen him run into inexplicable inconsistencies, too.) I accept that professional software has a learning curve. It’s fresh in my mind, since I had never touched PCB layout software until just a bit less than 3 years ago. In that time I have become fairly proficient at Altium, which is not devoid of complexity, and does have a learning curve, albeit a fairly gentle one for pro software. I had some moments of frustration, sure, but nothing like what SolidWorks has caused. In Altium, I was always able to figure out why something didn’t do what I expected, and understand that 9 times out of 10, it was actually just some feature that I didn’t know how to configure to work for me, causing it to inadvertently work against me. So the problems led to me learning more about what Altium can do, and solving problems led me to learn how to use the software better. SolidWorks has been entirely unforthcoming with any such revelations.

I have the totally opposite experience. As someone who didn't used any 3D modelling app,  Solidworks was very easy for me to pick up and start doing some programs for some brackets and cuts on a Laser Machine.

In one month I started from a zero and by the end of the month I was able to do this:

[unknownparticle]

Rear fog lights.

Oh God, this is one of mine too!!!
Slightest mist and these muppets bang all the fog lights on, then forget they are on for the next month!!!  They don't seem to realise that if you can see 100's of metres or more ahead then you don't fcuking need fog lights!!!  It is actually an offence in the UK to have rear or front fog lights on when not actually needed.  They are only needed when it is difficult or impossible to see cars more than around 20 mtrs in front, and if someone gets behind you that you can see, rear fogs should be turned off.
Another is the inconsiderate D heads that wash wipe their windscreen when someone is following directly behind them!!  Typically this happens in summer when they see a few particles on their windscreen in direct sunlight, so wash wipe and you get it too!!!Cretins!!

[eti]

Not a pet peeve, but every man and his dog releasing a "New OS!" every month or so, which is basically a re-skinned, tweaked Ubuntu or other main distro. Android nerds love to do this too with 107 variants of re-skinned Android versions.

Yeah that's exactly what we need to lessen confusion, MORE derivative works.

[unknownparticle]

Rear fog lights.

I need to ask: REAR fog lights? Seriously? I've never seen those, never even heard of them before this thread. Who drives backwards fast and long enough to justify REAR fog lights?

I figured this was a typo but nobody has said anything, so I have to ask....

They have been a standard feature on European cars for decades, the first time I saw them was when my parents bought a Volvo in 1986. They are just an additional red segment in the tail lamp clusters, often on just one side to reduce confusion, it's roughly the same as a brake light. It's a great feature when used properly, you're supposed to turn it on in thick fog, snow or other low visibility conditions so that cars approaching from the rear can see you. If you've never had the unpleasant experience of driving in thick fog it may not make a lot of sense, but I have and the rear fog lights work. Obviously (I thought) they're not for driving backwards, they're to help other drivers approaching from behind see you, not to help you see what's behind you.

So American cars don't have rear fog lights?!

[IDEngineer]

Not that I've ever seen.

[PlainName]

Maybe the ones in modern cars are brighter than mine, I don't know, mine use the same type of bulb as the brake lights and all cars have those.

Yes, but your brake lights aren't on permanently. Worst case, you sit at lights with your foot on the brake (and, yes, that can be annoying to the following driver), but it's very temporary.

I don't know if you get heavy fog where you are but we do from time to time and it can be quite difficult to see the tail lights on a car ahead of you.

Yep, last night was very foggy, enough to make me slow down considerably. No problem detecting rear lights way before I would have run into the back, though - you should drive so you can stop in the distance you can see to be clear, and if that's 4' in front of your bumper then a car having normal lights will be quite some distance beyond that.

Worse when it's patchy fog. Then you get either wall of red in the dense stuff then unfiltered lasers in your eyes in the clear. Wouldn't be a problem if drivers would think "Oh, that car following sure knows I am here, I don't need the force field turned on now".

I don't recall ever being in a situation where I'm blinded right behind a car

Maybe you have sensible drivers over there! But even lights that are not ultra-bright drown out everything else. That's why you don't drive on main beam in fog (though I'm sure some probably do).

[james_s]

Another is the inconsiderate D heads that wash wipe their windscreen when someone is following directly behind them!!  Typically this happens in summer when they see a few particles on their windscreen in direct sunlight, so wash wipe and you get it too!!!Cretins!!

I do that all the time, never occurred to me to see what's behind me before I use the window washer. What does it matter? The cleaning fluid is mostly water.

[PlainName]

Rear fog lights.

I need to ask: REAR fog lights? Seriously? I've never seen those, never even heard of them before this thread. Who drives backwards fast and long enough to justify REAR fog lights?

I figured this was a typo but nobody has said anything, so I have to ask....

Assuming you're not Ed.K taking the piss...

You have two kinds of fog lights: front and rear. Front ones are at the front and white, supposed to let you see better than full-on main beams. Rear ones are red, at the rear.

Rear fogs have been mandatory for.. well, a long time. Most decent cars turn them off automatically when you turn the lights off (that is, where the fog switch is incorporated into the headlight switch, turning the lights off forces the fogs off, and you have to intentionally turn them on again next time). Not sure if that's mandatory now.

The Highway Code (which is what you will be held against if taken to court) says:

236
You MUST NOT use front or rear fog lights unless visibility is seriously reduced (see Rule 226) as they dazzle other road users and can obscure your brake lights. You MUST switch them off when visibility improves.

and rule 226:

226
You MUST use headlights when visibility is seriously reduced, generally when you cannot see for more than 100 metres (328 feet). You may also use front or rear fog lights but you MUST switch them off when visibility improves (see Rule 236). Law RVLR regs 25 & 27

(The Highway Code uses SHOULD and MUST to confer advisory and mandatory meanings to rules.)

[PlainName]

Another is the inconsiderate D heads that wash wipe their windscreen when someone is following directly behind them!!  Typically this happens in summer when they see a few particles on their windscreen in direct sunlight, so wash wipe and you get it too!!!Cretins!!

I do that all the time, never occurred to me to see what's behind me before I use the window washer. What does it matter? The cleaning fluid is mostly water.

One is meant to be considerate of other people. Just helps things run smoother, see.

What does it matter? You know when you wash/wipe your screen because it's a bit dirty, well now the chap following, whose screen was perfectly clear, now has a dirty screen that needs cleaning just like yours had.

[TimFox]

I have used my windshield washer to suggest to a tailgater that he back off.