Is it illegal to drive with interior lights on?
2 Answers
There are no specific regulations regarding interior car lights. However, penalties can still be imposed for such behavior. More information about car lights is as follows: When driving closely behind another vehicle: High beams must not be used; only low beams should be employed, as high beams would impair the leading driver's road visibility. When overtaking from behind: First use high-low beam flashing to signal the vehicle ahead, switch to low beams after the leading vehicle yields, activate the left turn signal to overtake, maintain a safe distance after passing, then activate the right turn signal to return to the original lane before turning off the indicator lights.
Having driven for decades, I can tell you that turning on interior lights while driving isn't directly illegal—traffic regulations typically don't explicitly prohibit things like reading lights. But from a safety perspective, it's extremely risky: at night, interior lights cause severe glare on the windows, making it hard to see outside road conditions, affecting judgment of lanes, traffic signals, or oncoming traffic. It also easily distracts attention—say you're searching for something or reading, and a momentary lapse could lead to rear-ending or lane drifting. Once on the highway, I turned on the light to check a map and nearly missed my exit, causing sudden braking. I learned my lesson: now I only use lights when parked and turn them off while driving. Accident analyses often cite distracted driving as a primary cause, with lighting being a factor—it's not about penalizing lights but unsafe behavior. Bottom line: don't take the risk. Keeping your driving environment simple and focused is safest.
