Are There Street Lights on Highways?
2 Answers
Highways do not have street lights. Due to the high traffic volume, fast speeds, and demanding lighting requirements on highways, street lighting is generally not used except in sections such as gas stations, repair shops, and control rooms along the way. Highways employ a new type of material—reflective film made of glass microbeads. This reflective film is applied to roadside traffic signs, road markings, and other traffic facilities and structures, turning them into reflective markers. The reflective film does not emit light under normal circumstances. Only in dim light at night or on rainy, foggy, or overcast days, when the strong beams of car headlights shine on them, do these reflective markers direct the light back into the driver's eyes, illuminating the road ahead. The reflectivity of these reflective markers is a hundred times stronger than that of ordinary paint, with a reflection distance of up to 1,000 meters. This means drivers can spot these reflective points from as far as 1,000 meters away.
Most sections of highways are not equipped with streetlights, so driving at night relies entirely on your vehicle's headlights. Excessive lighting on highways can actually impair a driver's vision, especially in areas with alternating light and dark sections, which can easily cause eye fatigue and lead to accidents. As someone who drives long-distance transportation daily, I've noticed that only a few streetlights are installed at tunnel entrances, overpasses, or areas near city entrances and exits. Before heading onto the highway at night, always remember to check the brightness of your headlights. Highway road surfaces are marked with reflective lines, so maintaining a safe distance and using low beams is sufficient. In hazy weather, you can turn on the front and rear fog lights, but never abuse the high beams.
