What lights should be used when vehicles meet at night?

[AvaLee]

When vehicles meet at night, the following lights should be used: 1. On roads without central isolation facilities or center lines, high beams should not be used within 150 meters of oncoming vehicles. 2. On narrow bridges, narrow roads without central isolation facilities or center lines, or when meeting non-motorized vehicles, high beams should not be used. 3. When driving at night with no street lights, poor lighting, or in low visibility conditions such as fog, rain, snow, or dust, high beams should not be used when the following vehicle is driving close to the leading vehicle in the same direction. 4. When passing sharp curves, slopes, arched bridges, pedestrian crossings, or intersections without traffic signal control, drivers should alternately switch between high and low beams to signal.

[LaChloe]

You must use low beams when meeting vehicles at night! Having driven long distances for over a decade, I find the dazzling glare of oncoming high beams most irritating—it completely obscures vision, and I once nearly hit a guardrail. Traffic regulations clearly require switching to low beams beyond 150 meters and reducing speed within 50 meters. This isn’t an overreaction—intense light can blind the other driver for 2-3 seconds, which is enough to cause a major accident at high speed. In rain or fog, promptly dim your lights further. Some new drivers think high beams are safer, but they actually increase collision risks. I remember my last night drive through the Qinling Mountains—over twenty consecutive curve encounters with oncoming traffic, where everyone instinctively switched to low beams. That sense of safety far outweighed the false security of high beams.

[LilaMarie]

Using low beams when meeting oncoming traffic is a fundamental driving courtesy. Many people believe that brighter headlights mean safer driving, but when the beam directly hits the other driver's cabin, the human eye's pupils contract sharply, taking five to six seconds to recover night vision. Personal experience: Once, I was blinded by a truck's high beams, causing me to slam on the brakes and resulting in a rear-end collision. Current regulations also require that vehicles traveling in the same direction must not use high beams to directly illuminate the vehicle in front, as the glare from the rearview mirror can be equally dangerous. Those who have installed overly bright headlights should be especially cautious—some xenon lights without proper lenses scatter light so intensely they can illuminate an entire mountainside.

[Justin]

Driving schools teach that you must switch to low beams when meeting another vehicle at night. The principle is simple—the parallel beams of high beams shine directly into the opposite lane, and the intense light can overwhelm the photoreceptor cells in the other driver's retina. I've seen test data: braking reaction time is delayed by 0.8 seconds under high beam exposure, which at 60 km/h means an extra 13 meters traveled before stopping. Some modern cars have automatic switching functions, which is convenient, but older vehicles require manual operation. A reminder: when overtaking, switch to low beams first and only switch back to high beams after completing the maneuver—otherwise, the reflection in the rearview mirror of the car ahead can still blind others.

[LeElizabeth]

Three key points to remember: switch to low beam within 150 meters, reduce speed within 50 meters, and turn off high beams in advance on curves. Many people forget that high beams are also prohibited when following another car, as the strong light passes through the rear windshield and directly blinds the driver ahead. When I was repairing cars, I encountered customers complaining about dim lights, only to find out it was because the other driver illegally kept their high beams on, causing misjudgment. There's also a special situation: when an oncoming car forgets to turn off their high beams, you should flash your lights twice as a reminder, but never retaliate by turning on your own high beams. Last time on National Highway 318, I learned this the hard way—four cars stubbornly kept their high beams on at each other, and as a result, none of us could see the gravel on the road.

[VonJack]

As a driver with ten years of experience, using headlights properly isn't just about following rules—it's a responsibility. Once, while driving my child home from a late-night doctor's visit on a mountain road, an oncoming car with modified high beams shone directly at us, causing my three-year-old daughter to burst into tears from the glare. Later, I learned from research that children's retinas are more sensitive, and they can suffer three times more damage from bright lights than adults. Now, whenever I see someone using high beams improperly, I think they might be carrying a patient or a pregnant woman. Remember, every time you switch to low beams, you could be saving a life—possibly theirs, but more likely your own. Be especially cautious on city roads, where streetlights combined with high beams create strong contrasts between light and dark, making obstacles even harder to spot.