Should You Turn on Hazard Lights When Driving in Heavy Rain?
2 Answers
You should turn on hazard lights when driving in heavy rain. Here is some relevant information about hazard lights: 1. Introduction: Hazard lights are also known as emergency flashers, commonly referred to as double flashers, and technically termed as hazard warning lights. 2. Location: The hazard light button is located in the center of the dashboard, marked with a red triangle symbol. Pressing this button will cause all four turn signals to flash simultaneously. 3. Reason for not using hazard lights in fog: Hazard lights are the highest-level warning lights, so many people instinctively turn them on in foggy conditions. However, this practice is prohibited in some countries because it can make it difficult for following vehicles to determine the direction the leading vehicle is heading.
That day when I was driving on the highway during a heavy rainstorm, water splashed all over the car windows, and visibility was less than ten meters. In a panic, I turned on the hazard lights, thinking it would alert others. But what happened? The car behind me probably thought it was a broken-down vehicle stopped in the middle of the road and almost rear-ended me. Later, an experienced driver friend told me that hazard lights are for when you're stopped due to a breakdown. Keeping them on constantly disables the turn signals, making it harder for other drivers to see your turning intentions, which can actually be more dangerous. The correct approach is to turn on the front and rear fog lights along with the low beams to improve your visibility, set the wipers to the fastest speed, turn on the AC to defog the windows, and maintain a distance of at least 50 meters from other vehicles. Since then, I've always remembered this lesson when driving in heavy rain—safety comes first.
