Why Don't All New Cars Come With Fog Lights Anymore?

Whether we're talking about oil dipsticks or spare tires, many of the features that once came standard with vehicles have been discontinued in recent years. Now fog lights seem to be on the chopping block. On the surface, these decisions by car makers may seem baffling; after all, why remove something that once served a practical purpose? From shifting consumer preferences to efforts to keep costs down and technological advancements, there are several reasons a car manufacturer might decide to eliminate features that we once thought were essential.

But what about safety? After all, fog lights help us find our way in less than ideal road conditions, when visibility is poor and the weather makes it impossible for us to see what's in front of us. According to the Federal Highway Administration, low visibility conditions caused by fog and heavy precipitation contribute to more than 600 fatalities and 16,300 injuries in car crashes each year. Yet, these statistics don't seem to have had any effect on automakers removing fog lights from their vehicles.

That's because many car manufacturers believe modern headlight technology has improved to the point that they're no longer necessary. However, without any independent data on the effectiveness of this technology to back up these claims, it's hard to say whether car manufacturers believe it has truly rendered fog lights unnecessary or if they're just trying to save a few bucks. Still, whether we like it or not, it seems that cars without fog lights are here to stay.

Many car manufacturers argue that technology has made fog lights obsolete, as Ford of Europe design director Amko Leenharts explained to Ford Authority when asked about the lack of fog lights in Ford's lineup, "If you have the bending lights, then you don't need the fog lights." With dynamic bending headlights, sensors adjust the direction of the beams to light up curves and bends, a feature that some automakers, like Ford, believe makes fog lights unnecessary. Others have questioned the effectiveness of fog lights, given that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration considers them auxiliary equipment and federal law doesn't require car manufacturers to install them. That being said, the National Weather Service does recommend drivers turn on fog lamps when driving in foggy conditions if their car has them. 

While there's no conclusive answer to whether technological advancements like LED and High-Intensity Discharge (HID) headlights have made fog lights unnecessary, most would probably agree that headlight technology has improved a great deal, giving drivers better visibility in low-visibility conditions. Some argue that since these headlights provide all-weather visibility, fog lamps have become redundant. Furthermore, many drivers may not even miss fog lamps because, unlike in Europe, in the U.S., they were often found only in high-end cars and were just an option in standard vehicles. With technologies like lidar, radar, and infrared night-vision systems becoming more common on vehicles, car manufacturers may be right, it may make sense for fog lights to become a thing of the past since these advanced systems continue to improve vehicle safety and visibility.