The high-beam headlights that come standard on all vehicles are there to keep you safe by illuminating the road ahead at a much larger distance. Despite this, the IIHS found that only around half of drivers actually use their highlights, apparently believing that they don’t need them. The preceding study may be representative of how people in the West drive, but the situation is very different where I come from. Some motorists have a habit of permanently activating their high lights, making driving conditions extremely dangerous for everyone else. Improving everyone’s safety on the road can be as easy as switching between high and low beams at the appropriate times.
Use High Beam and Low Beam Headlights
High Beams
When you go to high beam, your headlights will be brighter than they would be in low beam mode. Some vehicles have dedicated bulbs for high beams and others for low beams. Other common bulbs include two filaments, one for the high beam and one for the low beam, both housed in the same bulb. When you turn on your high beams, your headlights get brighter and illuminate a greater area, giving you a better view of the road ahead. While incredibly helpful in some scenarios, the intense light may be too much for oncoming vehicles to handle.
When to Turn on High Beams
When driving at night in a region with low lighting, using high beam headlights is recommended. In the city, where there are plenty of streetlights, the low beams of your car are probably bright enough, but they may not be in the suburbs. Without adequate illumination from streetlights, drivers may have trouble seeing oncoming pedestrians, potholes, or even wild animals.
Use of High Beams Prohibited When:
While high lights can be useful for navigating the nighttime highway, they should be avoided whenever possible if there are other vehicles in the area. In comparison to low beams, high beams are so much more intense that they might cause temporary blindness to oncoming traffic. In order to avoid blinding other drivers, you should always dim your high beams before passing or following another vehicle.
Understanding Low-Beam
Dipped headlights illuminate the road below. Light the road ahead without blinding oncoming motorists is a primary design goal. However, high beams are directed forward. Although it expands your field of view, it also makes it difficult for other drivers to see you. If you’re following too closely behind another car that’s already moving, the high beams will reflect off their mirrors and blind the drivers.
Certains Details
Headlights set to low beam can illuminate the road ahead for around 150 to 200 feet. If your low beam visibility is less than 200 feet, you must convert to high beams per the rules of the road unless:
- There’s another car less than two hundred feet away, coming at you from the opposite direction.
Or if the distance between your two cars is less than 200 feet. - Depending on the technology, high beams can extend your line of sight by another 100 to 400 feet. Imagine how harshly they can glare oncoming drivers, given that they are twice as powerful as the low-beams and point straight ahead rather than towards the road.
Cascading precipitation, snow, or dense fog
High-beam headlights should not be used in any weather conditions when visibility is reduced, including snow, rain, and fog. Your headlights are making it more difficult to see because they are reflecting off the wet air. In the fog, visibility is reduced even with low beams, therefore it’s best to use fog lights.
High-Intensity Discharge Lights with Assist Technology
These days, most vehicles include a feature called high-beam assist. You won’t have to do a thing because the correct brightness level for the headlights will be set automatically. If an automobile is detected within a safe distance, some of them will automatically convert to low beam.
The Satire
A lot of folks here use their high beams all the time, even when it’s not nighttime, simply to show off. This mentality of blinding everyone else on the highways just because they have the’might’ needs to be abolished, and bright lights on fog lamp housings are just one part of the solution. The use of high lights while driving within a city is illegal and punishable by a challan, but because our traffic regulations are so inefficient, offenders frequently avoid punishment.
FAQs
Where do you use high beam lights?
If you frequently drive in rural locations where there are less street lights, they will come in handy. When driving at night, high lights should only be used when there is no other vehicle within 200 to 300 feet of you.
How do you avoid high beam lights while driving?
To prevent temporary blindness, it is sufficient to gaze down towards the right side of the road. Keep your eyes on the lane’s edge or the painted dividing line until the car has passed.
Can I use my low beams at night?
When driving at night in a region with low lighting, using high beam headlights is recommended. In the city, where there are plenty of streetlights, the low beams of your car are probably bright enough, but they may not be in the suburbs.
When should I use low beam headlights?
If you’re travelling in heavy traffic and don’t want to blind other motorists with your high lights, switching to low beams will do the trick. Use your low beam headlights when driving in low visibility conditions such as fog, rain, or thick snow. During these times of poor vision, downwardly directed light is the most effective method.
