What lights to use when passing sharp curves and slopes at night?
2 Answers
When driving through sharp curves at night, motor vehicles should first reduce speed, sound the horn as a signal, and alternately use high and low beam lights to indicate. The "Regulations for the Implementation of the Road Traffic Safety Law of the People's Republic of China" stipulate: 1. When turning left, changing lanes to the left, preparing to overtake, leaving a parking spot, or making a U-turn, the left turn signal should be activated in advance. 2. When turning right, changing lanes to the right, returning to the original lane after overtaking, or parking by the roadside, the right turn signal should be activated in advance. 3. When passing sharp curves, slopes, arched bridges, pedestrian crossings, or intersections without traffic signal control at night, motor vehicles should alternately use high and low beam lights to indicate. 4. When approaching sections with limited visibility such as sharp curves or the top of slopes, or when overtaking or encountering emergencies, motor vehicles should reduce speed and sound the horn as a signal.
When driving through sharp curves and slopes at night, I decisively switch to low beams as they precisely illuminate the road ahead without dazzling oncoming vehicles. On curves, high beams tend to misdirect, reflecting light back into my own line of sight and obscuring road stones or edges; on uphill or downhill slopes, vehicle tilt amplifies light fluctuations—maintaining steady brightness with low beams is safer. As someone who frequently drives mountain roads, I always reduce speed appropriately in advance and check lighting settings to avoid sudden hazards. For particularly sharp turns or poor visibility, I briefly flash high beams to extend distance vision but immediately revert to low beams to ensure no inconvenience to others. Since adopting this habit, my nighttime accident rate has significantly dropped.
