Puddles

[Ems and Jim]

Now then people..... puddles.

Is it illegal to drive through a puddle ?
More specifically drive - quickly - through 10 inches of standing water on a main road..... thus throwing up a 5 foot bow wave, completley covering my surf.... a modeo coming the other way, a metro, a micra, a transit van (parked in a carpark some 15feet away) and possibly some people cycling very badly on the pavement ?

I only ask because I MAY have unintentionally done this.... numerous times..... over the last couple of days because there seems to be a blocked drain on my way home from work.........

I sooooo hope this rain carries on

Tell ya what though.... the bl**dy steering don't half get heavy when the belts slipping doesn't it

Jim

[rubblebags]

Jim
If its slipping in a pit of water I'd tighten it Mate.
Did it come up on the windscreen. Fright. Messy underware.

[Greebo]

Illegal.......Naaaah.

Anti-social......maybee.

damaging.......probably not.

Fun........OH YES INDEEDEEYYYY

[rockey]

Probably better doing it offroad rather than on, you can throw enough water under a passing cars bonnet to cause it to injest it through its air intake and hydraulic destroying the engine or even worse you could do it to yours unless youv'e fitted a snorkel

[kitesurf_phil]

This morning on the M1, about 0400, chucking down with rain and riverlets running all over the road. Only one slightly hairy moment, just before Hemel, where the road was particularly wet.
Who are the guys and gals with the radar? They must have it because they can do 90MPH, when the rest of us cant see where we are going.
I'm sure nobody from here would use them, but fog lights are for when it is foggy, not for when it is raining. The spray is bad enough without having to wear sunglasses at 4AM
:Climb down off soap box:

[FlySurfer - Edy.]

I'm with ya there Phil.

Used to drive to Dudley from liverpool every morning at 04.30, man I had one hell of a bad winter that year. Rain, Ice, high beams the works.

Jacked the job in in the end coz of the dangerous motorcycling.

[Koi]

Stand corrected, but I think you will find you can get knicked/prosecuted for driving through a puddle to fast and soaking/splashing pedestrians on the pavement. Not sure if the same applies to cyclists.

[Silver Surfer]

This morning on the M1, about 0400, chucking down with rain and riverlets running all over the road. Only one slightly hairy moment, just before Hemel, where the road was particularly wet.
Who are the guys and gals with the radar? They must have it because they can do 90MPH, when the rest of us cant see where we are going.
I'm sure nobody from here would use them, but fog lights are for when it is foggy, not for when it is raining. The spray is bad enough without having to wear sunglasses at 4AM
:Climb down off soap box:

Phil
I know what you mean about foglights in the wet, but when it tips down in the daytime, and the spray is all you can see of the car in front then I use them. I want people to know I'm there, and it's the only way that my rear fogs come on, and I don't want to be attacked from behind by someone whose radar has failed. It is different at night, and I only ever use them then if conditions are atrocious. Now the people who have them on all the time, I HATE THEM!! particularly rear fogs.

John

[stara]

soaking cyclists or pedestrians is assault, wether deliberate or accidental, and you'd probably get done for driving without due care and attention, or even dangerous driving or worse if a cyclist or pedestrian injured themselves as a direct result of being splashed by a vehicle. So driving through puddles is not illegal, it's the consequences of driving through puddles that could lead to breaking the law.

[stara]

Phil
I know what you mean about foglights in the wet, but when it tips down in the daytime, and the spray is all you can see of the car in front then I use them. I want people to know I'm there, and it's the only way that my rear fogs come on, and I don't want to be attacked from behind by someone whose radar has failed. It is different at night, and I only ever use them then if conditions are atrocious. Now the people who have them on all the time, I HATE THEM!! particularly rear fogs.

John

the reason it is dangerous to use fog lights other than when it is foggy is apart from the blinding issue at night, during daytime the car behind you will become used to your bright rear lights and may not notice if your brake lights come on, it is safer to leave your fogs only for fog, even in heavy spray.

[Silver Surfer]

The reverse is also true, in that you can suddenly notice a vehicle with his rear fogs on, and brake unnecessarily causing an accident, it's all down to paying attention. If only you could trust other drivers to do the sensible thing, then we could all drive safely and confidently, in the meantime I asume that everyone else on the road is an idiot, and treat them accordingly.
Nothing personal fellow Surfers.
John

[kitesurf_phil]

I guess I was a bit flakey when I got in from work this morning but it sure started a debate.
I think that Koi is right. Steaming through puddles and splashing pedestrians and other road users is in itself illegal. But then again so is adjusting your window washers towards the pavement, for a bit of summertime fun and squirting pedestrians!
Not that I have ever done it myself - honest guv!

[da SLUG man]

it's illegal to have any fog lights on unless it's foggy, cos they dazzle everyone!
when it rains is the worst time to have them on as it reflects in all the water on the person behinds windscreen...
you should turn them off if there's anyone behind you.

[TonyN]

Fogs in the light cluster are the worst, it hard to see when the brake lights go on after you've been staring at them for a while.

I've only soaked someone once, and it was a toss up between getting someone wet, or going around the puddle and ending up squashed on the front of an artic. No contest!

Felt guilty for a while though, if thats any consolation!

Puddles are natures jet wash, my truck is all clean now.

[sumo]

Now then people..... puddles.

Is it illegal to drive through a puddle ?
More specifically drive - quickly - through 10 inches of standing water on a main road..... thus throwing up a 5 foot bow wave, completley covering my surf.... a modeo coming the other way, a metro, a micra, a transit van (parked in a carpark some 15feet away) and possibly some people cycling very badly on the pavement ?

I only ask because I MAY have unintentionally done this.... numerous times..... over the last couple of days because there seems to be a blocked drain on my way home from work.........

I sooooo hope this rain carries on

Never mind 10" puddles you want to try the LAKE at Trentham we did twice now that was fun.

sumo & Angie.

Tell ya what though.... the bl**dy steering don't half get heavy when the belts slipping doesn't it

Jim