Additional lighting for your car

Enhance safety and comfort with auxiliary lights Auxiliary lights are lights used for upgrading a vehicle's interior and exterior. Although today's cars are already comprehensively equipped with all kinds of lights, auxiliary lights are still useful and value-enhancing. Exterior auxiliary lights Auxiliary lights can significantly help increase a car's active and passive safety. The following auxiliary lights are useful on the front of the vehicle, if not provided by factory:

- Daytime running light - Fog light - Cornering light - Searchlight

The daytime running light consists of a single LED lamp or a thin LED strip, which is placed on the right and left of the bumper. It permanently lights up as soon as the vehicle's ignition is switched on. The advantage of the daytime running light is a substantial increase in passive safety. The vehicle is always clearly identifiable, even in poor or changing light conditions. However, daytime running lights must always be licensed. Extremely bright daytime running lights are permitted in some countries. Here in Germany, an official permit must exist for each retrofitting set. A vehicle's regular headlights are of very little help under foggy conditions. The fine water droplets scatter the light to such an extent, that turning on the headlights hinders vision more than it helps it. Aftermarket fog lamps can help here.
Fog lights are attached right below the bumper. They serve to shine through beneath the fog screen and their light is not as widely scattered. Retrofitting fog lights is pretty easy, but must be performed exactly according to the installation instructions. Otherwise their effect is not a given and they can actually put incoming traffic through at risk due to their strong blinding effect. Fog lights also require an official permit. Cornering lights always shine in the direction the steering wheel is turned in. The angle is preset during installation and a broad scattering ensures generous illumination. Complex and rotating cornering lights, as used to once be modern in old French upper class vehicles, are no longer used. Cornering and turning lights are very complex to install. These aftermarket kits do indeed include installation instructions. Nonetheless, the installation of these lights and sensors requires a high level of knowledge of electronics. In addition to the complex installation, cornering lights may also need to be programmed at the control unit. When it comes to off-road vehicles, for example the kind used by hunters, the installation of a searchlight may be useful. Although these are simple to install, strict regulations apply to their use. Auxiliary lights on the vehicle's rear side The vehicle's rear offers the following possibilities for installation of an auxiliary light:

- Rear fog lamp - Self-illuminating license plate

If a rear fog light is not already present, installing one is a very sensible idea. It ensures that other road users driving behind you will recognize your car in heavy fog, snowfall or rain before it's too late. The self-illuminating license plate is a sensible alternative to the license plate light. It has a much larger, active light area, thus making the vehicle far more visible when it's dark outside. This feature is particularly interesting for motorcyclists. Prohibited auxiliary lights In Germany, it is not permitted to switch on auxiliary lights in public if they serve no purpose or endanger other road users. Therefore, the under car illumination that became very popular some years ago must not be used when driving on public roads. Additional headlights that are mounted too high up, as commonly found on pick up trucks and SUVs, are also not permissible for use on public roads. The regulations for these lights are so strict that they must be covered with an additional fabric cover when driving on public roads. Auxiliary lights: Always keep the law in mind In all things pertaining to the exterior illumination of a vehicle, it's very important to always obtain the necessary operating permits. This even includes the glazing of turn signals or taillights. Using unauthorized auxiliary lights can have costly legal consequences and even result in the vehicle's seizure. Thus, one should abstain from very cheap offers or ones that are too spectacular. Only purchase quality products by brand-name manufacturers from established dealers. This way you can be sure to receive a safe product that complies with the laws in your country.