Michael McAleer answers your queries
From Aileen Kerr, Blackrock:
Glare from headlights and fog lights is so annoying at night when driving. Could you confirm that these regularly used lights are within the law? Old rules were that fog lights must only be used during fog.
Ronnie Plant, Co Carlow:
Having returned to live in Ireland some six years ago we still can't understand the mentality of the Irish motorists. There is an element of lawlessness about some of them, one problem being the lack of policing.
We have made a point of asking derivers - usually friends and acquaintances - have they read the rules of the road. Over 80 per cent have not. There are many glaring examples of law breaking.
One instance in particular is the use of fog lights. The rules state clearly that they must only be used in extreme fog.
Fog lights are the physical manifestation of the inconsiderate motorist. They pin-point a driver who has little regard for his/her fellow motorists.
The Helpdesk receives regular correspondence on this issue but we felt strong enough to publish just two of the more recent letters given the increasingly common practice of driving around with the rear fog light on.
We have had some heavy fog in recent weeks and in these circumstances it is perfectly understandable to have fog lights turned on. However, it would seem many motorists then neglect to switch them off.
As to the law, it is an offence under the rules of careless or reckless driving. It is against the law to use fog lights unless driving in white snow or, of course, fog.
Strangely in Britain, some cars must have front fog lights on. However, they are not as distracting as the bright red glow from the rear light that can distract drivers from the brake lights at the rear and lead to shunts.
They are also a major contributor to road rage. The best way to approach a driver with rear fog lights on is to flash them once or twice from behind and keep added distance from them so your eyes can still focus and see if brake lights come on suddenly.
On a similar lighting issue, we recently found ourselves behind the wheel of a left-hand drive car on Irish roads and spent the dark nights fending off irate approaching drivers who, because our dipped lights shone onto the road, thought we were ignorantly driving around with full lights.
From Frank Lynch:
You recently mentioned in your review of the Ford RS Focus that the car needed 97 Octane fuel instead of the normal 95 Octane. The additives are hard to come by but I was wondering if they improved the performance of more everyday cars?
The RS and other performance cars like the Subaru Impreza Sti run best on 97 octane but for more regular motors the difference is negligible. What's more the additive is also quite expensive if you plan on using it every time you fill up. The only real difference is with turbocharged cars in which case you may consider using the 97 octane.