My new little car has fog lamps on it.  I don’t now why though as they’re almost as redundant as when Range Rover put their first Discovery model into the Australian market in the early 90s and they came out with snow ski racks on the roof fitted as standard.  Now here in (usually) sunny Bris-Vegas we don’t have a lot of snow and/or fog given that we’re effectively in a temperate subtropical kinda area and I’ve never seen snow in Brisbane and only very rarely do we see fog.

From what I understand of the Queensland Transport Auxiliary Driving Lamps Fitted to Motor Vehicles General Policy of 30 June 2006, the use of fog lamps is ‘intended to improve the illumination of the road in conditions of fog, snowfall, rainstorms’ etc …additionally …  ‘Fog lamps must not be used except in fog or mist or under other atmospheric conditions which restrict visibility’. 

What’s bugging me is that since I have acquired a car with fog lamps I seem to be noticing just how many people are using them in contradiction to this policy.  Does the policy get policed?  I don’t think so.    Does the use of fog lamps when not under conditions of restricted visibility actually serve any purpose whatsoever other than to say ‘Hey I paid to have fog lamps on my car so I’m gonna use ’em’.  Not so much. 

Story Bridge this morning. Sunny Queensland – beautiful one day.. perfect the next.

And yet (and this one really does my addle pated head in) given the absolute deluge South East Queensland is experiencing these last few days… why is it that maybe only 20-25% of cars on the road have their regular headlights on even though the weather has been so bad you can barely see 50 meters ahead.  And why do idiot drivers in dark coloured cars seem to be the worst offenders for not putting on their headlights in wet weather?  It’s got me baffled.

Seems like we have two types of drivers … those that have got their sexy damn lamps that cost them extra so they’re gunna use ’em all the time regardless and the other type who won’t turn on any lights even though wet conditions and low visibility means you can’t see them for shit.  Go figure.

Anne Street in Bris CBD, Fortitude Valley end. Never seen anything like it.

BrisVegas has been ridiculously wet these last few days… I haven’t seen this much winter rain since maybe the early 90s when I used to work in town for the Govt and had to get to and from the buses and it was frequently raining.  Feels like the drought we’ve been experiencing for the last decade and a half is perhaps starting to turn around and we’re seeing some of the old weather patterns returning (with a bit of luck) but it comes with a downside….. a whole new generation of idiot drivers who have NO experience at driving in wet weather.  Like the  chicken fuckin’ moron (read ‘male under 25’) who tailgated me for a couple of clicks before over taking me doing 80+ kph in a 60kph zone in his black Subaru Impreza this afternoon while it was pissing down with rain .

Fantastic shots taken down the Gold Coast today.
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