Are Low Beam Lights the Same as Position Lights?
3 Answers
Position lights are not low beam lights. The following introduces the differences between the two: 1. Position Lights: Position lights are also called 'contour lights.' The word 'position' signifies warning, while 'contour' represents the outline. From the literal meaning, it's easy to understand that position lights are installed at the edge of the vehicle's outline to allow other vehicles to clearly see the position and size of your vehicle, thereby preventing rear-end collisions or side swipes. 2. Low Beam Lights: Low beam lights typically illuminate within a distance of 50 meters, primarily to clearly see the road ahead. They are usually turned on in areas with heavy traffic because high beam lights can cause glare to oncoming drivers. In areas with sparse traffic and no streetlights, especially when driving at relatively high speeds, high beam lights should be used.
As a long-time car owner, let me clarify this. The parking lights and low beams are definitely not the same thing—I used to mix them up when I first started driving. Parking lights (also called side markers) are those dim red lights you turn on at dusk or when parked, mainly to make your car's outline visible to others. Low beams are the primary lights for nighttime driving, projecting light downward to avoid blinding oncoming traffic. A quick way to tell: the dashboard shows a green icon for parking lights, which turns blue when you switch to low beams. Remember to use fog lights in rain or fog—that's a separate system. On the light switch knob, parking lights are usually the first position, and you need to turn it fully for low beams.
Last week, I accompanied my best friend to pick up her new car, and she pointed to the parking lights asking if they were the low beams. Actually, parking lights are like the 'contour lights' of a car, turned on when it gets slightly dark to make pedestrians and other vehicles aware of your presence. On the other hand, low beams have a range of about 30 meters and are actually used to illuminate the road. Here's a practical tip: when looking for a parking spot in an underground garage, turning on the parking lights is sufficient, but the moment you drive out of the garage, you must switch to low beams. Many beginners forget to switch and only use parking lights in dimly lit sections, which is particularly dangerous as the brightness is simply not enough to see the road conditions clearly.
