Using your headlights (2024)

FAQs

Using your headlights? ›

Watch for pedestrians, bicycles, wildlife and other obstacles. Be diligent in watching for obstacles and monitoring your peripheral vision at night. Other nighttime driving tips, such as reducing your speed and increasing following distance can help avoid accidents caused by obstacles.

Watch for pedestrians, bicycles, wildlife and other obstacles. Be diligent in watching for obstacles and monitoring your peripheral vision at night. Other nighttime driving tips, such as reducing your speed and increasing following distance can help avoid accidents caused by obstacles.

Watch carefully for highway signs as they are harder to see at night. Watch carefully for people and vehicles stopped on the side of the road. You must use your headlights any time weather conditions require the use of your windshield wipers.

The best times to use high beams are when you're driving on: rural roads or highways, where it's extremely dark; city roads or highways with poor lighting and visibility.

So be smart and considerate. Keep your beam use straight: low for lower speeds, suburban areas, and rain or fog. High for higher speeds and highways, but only when you can maintain at least 500 feet between your vehicle and the rest of us.

California law requires the use of headlights under the following circ*mstances: From 30 minutes after sunset until 30 minutes before sunrise. Inclement weather, including rain and fog. When the weather does not allow you to see another vehicle from 1,000 feet away.

Don't look directly at the headlights of oncoming traffic. Avert your eyes to the lane in front of you, keeping them to the right of the lane but still focusing on the road. Use lane reflectors to guide your path on the road, as it may become harder to see from the bright headlights.

High beam headlights should be used at night, whenever you're unable to see enough of the road ahead to drive safely. Low visibility at night can be scary for even the most experienced drivers.

As per the Highway Code, you must use dipped headlights “when visibility is seriously reduced”, i.e., when you are able to see less than 100m in front of you. So basically, any time you're driving at night or during bad weather.

Low beams are used when traveling in fog, rain, or snow. Low beams are used in city driving and driving in traffic on roadways. High beams are used when traveling behind other vehicles. High beams are used for open country driving when there is no traffic in sight.

Should I ride with my high beams on? ›

Many cities may also prohibit their use in high traffic areas. If you are using high beams and you see oncoming traffic, you should immediately dim them. If you have trouble seeing because oncoming traffic has their lights on high, look to the right and away from the lights. High beams dazzle oncoming vehicles/drivers!

In many cases, the high beams will still work when the regular headlights stop, but it's just not safe to drive around with your high beams potentially blinding other drivers.

Essentially, this means using dipped headlights rather than full beams when oncoming traffic is nearing or if you're close to other road users ahead. You should also keep them dipped while overtaking.

Dipped lights are the brightest lights your car has that won't dazzle other road users. Therefore, as a rule to remember, always use them when visibility is poor e.g at dusk or night time, and in bad weather. Move up to main beam headlights when you cannot see any other road users in front of you.

If you are driving with your high-beam lights on, you must dim them at least 500 ft from any oncoming vehicle, so you don't blind the oncoming driver. You must use low-beam lights if you are within 200-300 ft of the vehicle you are following.