When it comes to lighting upgrades, people tend to fall into two different camps. The first is those who are looking for the most aesthetically appealing look, something that will benefit the look of your vehicle. The second are those who are looking for the best possible performance when it comes to automotive lighting.
If you are in the latter group, you are probably going to want to have a yellow light for your fog light application. This is especially true if you live somewhere with harsh weather conditions that make driving in low light difficult. We’ll get into why choose yellow fog lights over white ones.
What Are Fog Lights?
You can be a decent driver and owner of a vehicle, yet you might not have insight into these sorts of vehicle lights. Some people may mistake these car lights for headlights, as many of these lights are mounted on the front of a car and work to provide illumination to the driver in poor visibility conditions. However, fog lights differ from headlights in both function and form.
Fog lights are usually placed under the headlights, but some car models have them mounted on their bumpers. They by and large discharge yellow light, which has the most imperative infiltration capacity among every single colored light. This helps the driver to have much better visibility on foggy days. You can also find others that produce white light. White light from bulbs can sometimes cause glare in the eyes of approaching road users.
Why would you need yellow Fog Lights
If you have ever flipped on your high beams while driving through snow or fog, you may have noticed how difficult it gets to see. The particles act like small mirrors that then refract the light and sends it through the other particles in the air. Not only does this make it difficult to see for you, but other drivers too.
This idea sources from a study conducted in France during the 1930s. It claimed that the use of yellow headlights, not just fog lights, reduced the amount of scattered light in particle-heavy atmospheres. Since then, this claim has been eliminated from serious consideration by our understanding of physics. However, there is still some truth to the practice.
The original study claims that the Rayleigh Scattering effect is applied to very small scattering particles that match the size of the wavelengths that travel through them. This is what gives the sky its blue color. For inclement weather, the particles in the air are much too large for that so the effect does not apply to the same degree.
Modern headlights offer clearer beams that lessen the glare and refraction of light in inclement conditions. Lights that best eliminate the glare caused by said conditions will typically come in yellow or orange-colored light.
In the past, we have discussed the role that color temperature plays in nighttime visibility. In short, the closer the color temperature of the light is to white the better visibility you receive. So, while orange light may help cut through the fog, your visibility will not be as strong as a yellow light, which is closer to white light.
To answer the question as to whether you really need yellow-colored fog lights, the answer really comes down to personal preference.
What about my vehicle’s appearance?
As the name implies, the yellow fog light takes on a yellow color when turned on. This kind of fog light is perhaps the most widely recognized; many incline toward them because the natural eye is more lenient toward yellow lights. It enhances a car’s aesthetic appearance, and users can turn it on to make a statement. Then again, a complete component of the white light is that it has a white appearance, nearly with a somewhat blue shade. It is popular with many car owners because it brings certain simplicity.
Are Yellow or White Fog Lights Illegal?
This is a great question to consider depending on your location or where you plan to visit. Various domains may have explicit laws concerning the utilization of these car lights. For example, in Florida, traffic laws prohibit fog lights when other vehicles are on the road unless there is fog.
Yellow vs. White Fog Lights: Which Are Better?
When choosing the right fog light between white and yellow, it’s up to your preference. It would help if you considered each of the benefits and drawbacks, which will help you decide which is better for your vehicle.
The Pros of the Yellow Fog Light
Ease of contact with the human eye. The human eyes will ideally indulge the yellow light, whether focused on approaching road users or the road;
It ensures safety because it takes less effort to see;
Yellow fog lights cut well through different environmental conditions capable of affecting vision;
It is important for the perception of depth, which is helpful if you are driving in an unfamiliar environment;
The yellow lights also add extra beauty to the car.
The Cons of Yellow Fog Light
The main drawback of the yellow light is that it might not be sufficiently bright in some situations. This issue becomes evident when utilizing a yellow fog light color.
The Pros of White Fog Light
The white fog light brings some straightforwardness, which numerous vehicle owners appreciate;
It is adaptable, which infers that you can utilize it as a standard vehicle light;
It is exceptionally brilliant and can carry great enlightenment to dark spots;
The Cons of White Fog Light
It can be too bright, making it unsuitable for human vision. Such brightness can cause tension while driving;
There is the danger of refraction because of its short frequency, expanding the odds of glares.