Should High Beams Be Used on Highways?
3 Answers
High beams should be used on highways. The following are precautions for nighttime driving: Maintain Distance: When driving at night, maintain a following distance of at least 50 meters to enhance driving safety. When Overtaking: When overtaking, flash the high beams twice to alert the vehicle ahead. Confirm the overtaking conditions are safe before proceeding. Reduce Speed: Due to insufficient lighting and limited visibility at night, reduce speed when passing through intersections and residential areas, and be cautious of pedestrians. Switch to Low Beams: Pay attention to switching between high and low beams. Use high beams in areas with poor visibility, but switch to low beams when encountering oncoming traffic to ensure safe passing at reduced speed.
When it comes to using high beams on highways, my personal advice is that it depends on the specific road conditions. If the highway has few cars and it's pitch black at night, using high beams is beneficial—they illuminate farther, allowing you to spot obstacles or curves up to 100 meters away, giving you time to react and avoid rear-end collisions or accidents. However, if there are vehicles ahead or oncoming traffic, you must switch from high beams to low beams immediately. Otherwise, the intense glare can impair other drivers' vision, making it hard for them to see the road clearly and increasing the risk of collisions. At high speeds, light interference becomes even more dangerous. Additionally, in rainy or foggy conditions, high beams can cause light to reflect back, worsening visibility. In such cases, fog lights or low beams are more appropriate. As a frequent driver, I follow this rule: always check your light settings when starting the car and make it a habit. Use high beams when there’s no traffic to enhance safety, but switch them off as soon as you spot another vehicle. Ultimately, safe driving is the priority—don’t cut corners. Turn them on when needed and off when necessary.
Having driven for many years and made numerous trips on highways, I feel that using high beams should be context-dependent. On an empty highway at night, high beams can illuminate farther, helping you spot potholes or sudden animal crossings, which is quite useful. However, if there are other vehicles nearby, using high beams can be harmful—the glare can disrupt their vision, leading to minor annoyances like flashing lights as a reminder or even causing side-swipe accidents in severe cases. When I was younger and didn’t know the rules, I was fined by traffic police for using high beams on the highway at night. After learning my lesson, I now always check the rearview mirror first: no cars? Turn them on; cars nearby? Turn them off. Weather conditions also matter: avoid high beams during snow or heavy fog, as the light scatters and worsens visibility. Simply put, don’t misuse high beams—highway safety relies on everyone’s cooperation. I recommend that beginners practice this skill more often.
