What Lights Should You Use When Driving on the Highway at Night?

[AaliyahLynn]

When driving on the highway at night, you should use high beams. Here are some precautions for driving on the highway at night: 1. When overtaking on the highway at night, you must use the left or right turn signal to indicate to the vehicle ahead that you are or are preparing to overtake. At the same time, flash the high and low beams to alert the vehicle ahead. If the vehicle ahead is a large truck, also honk the horn. 2. When changing lanes on the highway at night, you need to signal earlier than during the day to allow more time for observing the reaction of the vehicle behind. This is because it is harder to judge the distance to the vehicle in the lane you are changing into at night compared to during the day. 3. Driving on the highway at night is more strenuous and makes the driver more prone to fatigue. Therefore, the frequency of breaks should be higher than during daytime driving. 4. When overtaking on the highway at night, ensure that the lane ahead is safe and unobstructed before turning off the high beams, especially if the vehicle ahead is a small car. High beams can dazzle the driver of the vehicle ahead, affecting their judgment and endangering the safety of both vehicles.

[JasperAnn]

When driving on the highway at night, the first thing we do is turn on the low beams to ensure we can see the road about 100 meters ahead. Nowadays, highway dividers are equipped with light shields, so using high beams can easily blind oncoming traffic. However, if there are few vehicles on the road, you can switch to high beams to spot road signs or obstacles earlier, and immediately switch back when you see approaching cars. Don’t forget auxiliary lights like marker lights and fog lights—they can be lifesavers in critical situations like rain or fog. Also, adjust the dashboard backlight to a brighter setting for easy speed checks, and remember to activate the anti-glare function for the rearview mirror. Most importantly, avoid unnecessary lane changes; with poor visibility at night, it’s crucial to stay focused.

[McIris]

At night on the highway, your headlights are your lifeline. New drivers often forget to switch to low beams when entering tunnels and to turn off high beams when exiting. Avoid using fog lights indiscriminately—rear fog lights can be too bright and impair the vision of drivers behind you; only use them when weather conditions warrant. On rainy nights, I make it a habit to turn on the external air circulation to prevent window fogging and keep the rear window defroster on to clear water droplets. Proper headlight adjustment is crucial—too low and you can't see the road, too high and you'll blind others. It's best to have a professional at the shop calibrate the beam height for you.

[VanJudah]

Master the use of light combinations when driving at night. Low beams are the foundation; flash high beams twice to alert the car ahead when overtaking. Rear fog lights should only be turned on when visibility drops below 50 meters, otherwise, the red glare can dazzle drivers behind. Be extra cautious with cars equipped with automatic headlights—there's always a reaction time for automatic switching, so manual intervention is safer. You can even adjust the headlight screws in the engine compartment yourself: raise the left light slightly to better see the left guardrail, and lower the right light to avoid blinding drivers in adjacent lanes. Poor timing when switching to high beams can really annoy other drivers.