Delica Canada | Mitsubishi Van Club

From the Alberta Act

(3) Not more than 2 auxiliary driving lamps or 2 fog lamps may be mounted on each side of the vertical centre line.

(4) Auxiliary driving lamps on a motor vehicle must be used only at the same time the high beams on the headlamps are used.

(5) Fog lamps on a motor vehicle must be used only at the same time the low beams on the headlamps are used.

(6) Despite subsection (5), fog lamps may be used without headlamps if the weather and road conditions make the use of headlamps disadvantageous.

(7) A person shall not drive or operate or own a motor vehicle that has a total of more than 4 auxiliary driving lamps and fog lamps.

(8) A person shall not drive a motor vehicle that has a total of more than 2 auxiliary driving lamps and fog lamps lit at the same time.
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Of course, my evil mind notes that section 3 doesn't limit how many you can mount ON the vertical centre line. I could also read it as allowing 2 fogs and 2 driving on each side, for a total of 8. I know that's not what they mean, but it sure is what it says.

Timely post as I am just converting the lights in a Toyota LC where the stock fog lights are directly on the same height as the driving lights as they are in the same pod. On the original there is a yellow lens, on the new one it is clear. So if you wire it up as a fog light again it sounds like it may be illegal, and if you wire it as an auxilary driving light oncoming traffic will think you've got your high beams on. I'm thinking to wire it into the high beams only and then I could mount aftermarket fog lights lower down.

To the original poster, keep in mind that oncoming traffic can get real annoyed when you use fog lights and there is no rain, fog, or snow anywhere to be seen. Truckers will give you their high beams to express their angst they feel, and rightly so.

So nowadays when you are on the road at night and everyone with a newer SUV is approaching you with their low beams on and also the lower (auxilary or fog) lights on I always assumed they were switching on their fog lights simply to get more light while on low beam even though there was no weather about to justify it. So the above post would indicate that if they are driving with low beams, those cannot be auxilary lights, they can only be fog lights, and because there is no fog anywhere, is the use of them illegal? If so, it would seem 50% of the driving public is breaking the law at night?

Thanks for posting both the ALberta and BC rules, that's very helpful. If anyone has an opinion as to what I should do with the LC lights that would be helpful, and as my Delica arrives in a week or so, may I ask, on the eCode lights used to convert the Delica, is it the same situation? What is the inner chamber on the Delica light pod used for, I assumed until now it was the high beam only?

Picture: Aftermarket eCode Light Module, the left side is what was the fog light reflector on the original pod, but which also has a yellow bulb cover which is not do-able on the new pod.


PS: In Loki's picture it looks to me like the fog lights are in fact lower then the headlights based on the horizontal center line.

PPS: 30 minutes later. I go back out to the LC and start to hook up lights and I find another connector that was in reserve and tucked away that fits the new eCode module. I plug it into to new module and I am totally amazed at the results. This connector is not wired to the fog light switch, it is connected to the high beams. So now it is an auxiliary light that goes on with the high beams. I am in complete amazement that Toyota would show such foresight to make the vehicle like this, I guess they anticipated selling the vehicle into other foreign markets and this is why it was there. Now of course the fog light switch is redundant until aftermarket fog lights are installed. I didn't have to do any soldering or rewiring, all that is left to do is the DRL module. While the Toyota is not destined to be my personal vehicle; I am keeping the Delica for camping on road trips, but nonetheless I can't say enough about what I have experienced with the HDJ81 Land Cruisers so far, if I was a wealthy man I'd keep both of them.

While searching for more info on the specifications for fog lights, I came across this SAE study. Don't want to pay for the whole study, but the abstract indicates that fog light use doesn't correlate too well to fog.

It says: "This pattern of nighttime usage is consistent with the Society of Automotive Engineers Standard J583, and with the intent of the laws of the State of Michigan."

That means that the intent of the laws, and the Standard, is to encourage to use of fog lights when there is no fog, but just to bolster low beams? Am I right in this? Seems kind of strange.

In addition, if I read the previous post correctly, in B.C. I think it was, the use of fog lights when there is no fog, etc., is prohibited isn't it? I'm confused.

fog lights are perfectly legal at the same height as headlights, just not any higher (many north american vehicles come that way)

MANY vehicles these days have fog lights that are on all the time with the low beams, and often can not be switched off by the driver independently of the low beams (most new pickup trucks among others) these vehicles are all illegal according to the act (there is a line in there somewhere about not using foglights when no fog is present) however there are many parts of many new vehicles that don't meet the act, and somehow that is acceptable...

Wow, I had no idea that those vehicles driver's that I've been swearing at under my breath have no control over their fog lights. Guess I won't curse them so much in future then. Thanks for the clarification.

my friend's 2005 Prius has "fog lights" that come on with the low beams, but I think these are technically auxiliary driving lights since they serve no real purpose in fog and cannot be controlled independently.

I think these are technically auxiliary driving lights

auxiliary driving lights may not be used without the high beams...

(basically you're proving my point that the auto manufacturers don't have to comply with this act, so why do we???)

You know, this has been most enlightening, I had no idea of exactly what the rules were with regards to those lights, which by the sounds of it, neither do 99% of the driving public, and perhaps a majority of enforcement as well. I'm still amazed that the drivers of those new cars don't have any control over those ersatz fog lights. This has been a most informative thread, thanks for the feedback.