What lights should be turned on after entering a tunnel?
2 Answers
After entering a tunnel, the vehicle should turn on the high beam, and switch to the low beam in advance when encountering oncoming vehicles. Turning on the headlights can alert surrounding vehicles to your position, ensuring driving safety. Situations requiring the use of high beams: 1. When driving on roads with poor lighting conditions, high beams can be used alternately with low beams; 2. When unfamiliar with the road conditions or needing to read road signs or markers, high beams can be used but should be quickly switched back to low beams; 3. When overtaking at night, alternate between high and low beams to alert the vehicle ahead; 4. When passing sharp curves, slopes, arched bridges, crosswalks, or intersections without traffic signals at night, vehicles should alternately use high and low beams as a signal.
I used to always forget to turn on my headlights when driving into tunnels, until one time I almost rear-ended another car and learned my lesson. Now, as soon as I enter a tunnel, I immediately switch on my low beams—they illuminate the road ahead to improve visibility and also make your vehicle more noticeable to others sooner. The sudden change in lighting inside tunnels can make everything appear dim if you don’t turn on your lights, leading to misjudged distances. Remember to turn them off after exiting the tunnel to avoid wasting battery or accidentally leaving them on. I recommend making this a habit, just as crucial as buckling your seatbelt when getting in the car. It’s also wise to regularly check your headlights to ensure they’re not faulty or have poor contact—small details can mean big safety. If your car has an automatic headlight feature, don’t rely entirely on it; tunnel entrances have drastic brightness changes, and automated systems sometimes react slowly. Safe driving leaves no room for carelessness—this lesson came to me at the cost of risk.
