Is It Illegal To Drive With Only Your Car's Fog Lights On? It's Complicated

Riding in inclement weather requires drivers to appropriately adjust their speed and use every feature available to stay safe on the road. These include windshield wipers, window defrosters, traction control, ESC, and ABS. None are strictly regulated in how they can be used, which is why drivers are free to activate or deactivate them at any given time. Fog lights are a different story, as there are many rules in place that limit how and when fog lights can be used.

So, is it illegal to drive with only the fog lights on? On a federal level, there are no laws that prohibit a driver from using just the fog lights, but various states have specific rules in place that do. What's common with most states is that fog lights are viewed as an optional safety feature, one that can only be used in conjunction with low-beam headlights. Here is what you need to know about driving with fog lights.

As previously mentioned, states vary in how they regulate the use of fog lights. In most states, including California, Florida, Texas, and Minnesota, fog lights can only be used with the headlights. Illinois regulations goes a step further by requiring drivers to also dim all auxiliary lighting within 500 feet of other vehicles. As far as color is concerned, most states require fog lights to be white. Some, like Maryland, also permit yellow lights; Washington allows amber lights but not yellow, and New Jersey allows yellow and amber lights. 

These differences might sound odd, but they aren't nearly as strange as some of the weirdest driving laws you'll find in the U.S. Oklahoma is also unique in restricting the use of fog lights to when visibility is reduced to half a mile or less due to weather conditions. Different states also have varying regulations in terms of fog light installation and placement, but what all of them have in common is that these are not substitutes for headlights and thus should never be used on their own.

Fog lights are a safety feature; they are not designed to make a car look cool or sleek. Therefore, they should only be used in bad weather, when they actually serve a functional purpose. For example, high beams are typically used to boost visibility but should not be used in fog, as they will actually lower the visibility due to how the light is reflected. This is why fog lamps exist as they distribute the light wide and low and thus work great in foggy conditions.

Some new cars don't come with fog lights because modern-day headlights are so good that they no longer need housing for separate lamps. Rear fog lights are also important since they signal to everyone behind you that you are there. While moving through fog, all drivers should keep a safe distance from other participants in traffic and drive slowly while paying extra attention to road markings and lane lines. Even though fog lamp regulations sometimes don't specifically state when drivers should use them, most do turn them on when the weather calls for it.