What does the vehicle's width light mean?

[AnaMarie]

Vehicle width lights refer to the lamps installed at the highest points of the front and rear of the vehicle, similar to the anti-collision lights mounted on the wingtips of aircraft. They are primarily used during driving in conditions such as dusk, overcast days, rain, or fog to indicate the vehicle's width and height. This helps other vehicles determine their relative positions and sizes during encounters or overtaking. Typically, width lights are white at the front and red at the rear. Literally, width lights serve as a warning, functioning as cautionary signal lights to alert other vehicles. They indicate both the height and width of the vehicle. Safety regulations require vehicles taller than three meters to be equipped with width lights.

[Hope]

Having driven for over a decade, I've noticed many beginners don't understand the purpose of parking lights. Actually called position lights, they're primarily used during dusk, rain, or fog when visibility is poor. These small lights are positioned at both front and rear of the vehicle - when illuminated, they help others clearly see your car's full silhouette. They're particularly useful when locating your car in parking lots or during highway traffic jams. During long drives with reduced visibility, I usually activate the parking lights early - they don't conflict with headlight usage. I remember last winter encountering patchy fog: a vehicle ahead had only its parking lights on, allowing me to identify it as a large truck from afar and change lanes promptly to avoid it.

[McValerie]

Last week when I was teaching my daughter to drive, she asked me what that little light symbol on the dashboard was. It's actually the position lights (also called parking lights). They serve a very practical purpose: to help other drivers and pedestrians see the width and position of our car. They should typically be turned on when it gets dark but not dark enough for headlights, or during rainy days when visibility is poor. My habit is to turn them on half an hour before sunset - safety always comes first. By the way, many new cars now have daytime running lights that automatically switch to position lights when the dashboard lighting dims at night. This little design feature is quite thoughtful.

[AllisonLee]

Last time at the car meetup, we were chatting about this. Position lights, to put it simply, are like saying 'Hey, I'm here!' to others. They work in conjunction with headlights and taillights but emit softer light. Nowadays, it's trendy in the modding community to switch to LED position lights—they're not only energy-efficient and long-lasting but also come in various colors. However, a friendly reminder: don't privately change them to red or blue lights as traffic regulations prohibit it. Just last month, while helping a friend with his vehicle inspection, we found he'd installed purple position lights and had to switch back to the factory yellow ones to pass the annual check.