Video lessons · Unit 8: Speed and weather

Driving at Night

High beams all night long? Grandpa explains it in one minute.

What you'll learn

• High beams on empty roads. Someone coming? Dim them: in many states, at five hundred feet.
• Following another car? Dim them too.
• Getting blinded? Don't look at the lights. Look at the right edge line.
• And drive slow enough to stop within what your lights show.

Test yourself: 5 exam-style questions

1. 1. At night you should drive at a speed that lets you…

   1. Get there fast
   2. Keep the same speed you would drive during the day
   3. Just see the lane lines
   4. Stop within the distance your headlights show
   Show answer

   Answer: Stop within the distance your headlights show

   If you can't see it, you can't stop for it.

2. 2. At night, an oncoming car's headlights are blinding you. Where do you look?

   1. Straight at its headlights
   2. Close your eyes for a second
   3. Toward the right edge of your lane
   4. At the center line so you stay in your lane
   Show answer

   Answer: Toward the right edge of your lane

   Look at the right edge and keep your lane until it passes.

3. 3. Can you get a ticket for driving too slowly?

   1. No, slow is always safe
   2. Only on city streets
   3. Yes, if you block normal traffic
   4. Only if your hazard lights are on
   Show answer

   Answer: Yes, if you block normal traffic

   Crawling on the freeway is dangerous too.

4. 4. What does «overdriving your headlights» mean?

   1. Having headlights aimed too high
   2. Driving at night with your headlights off
   3. Going so fast you can't stop within what they light up
   4. Using high beams when another car is coming toward you
   Show answer

   Answer: Going so fast you can't stop within what they light up

   If you see it too late to stop, you were outrunning your headlights.

5. 5. In many states, a speeding ticket in a work zone with workers present…

   1. Only applies to trucks
   2. Doesn't apply at night
   3. Costs the same as anywhere else
   4. Can cost double
   Show answer

   Answer: Can cost double

   Many states double fines when workers are present. Go slow and stay sharp there.