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Night Driving Etiquette on 4 lane highways

Billicus

Billicus

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Apr 3, 2002
981
2
Charles City, Iowa
Hi, I know this is kind of weird topic, but I've done some driving lately at night on 4 lane divided highways and I've been wondering what the procedure / proper etiquette is for high beams and oncoming traffic. If the road is sparsely populated I can certainly see better with the high beams on but I wonder if there is a specific distance I'm supposed to dim the lights at for oncoming traffic or if that is a concern in the first place. I'd appreciate some insight / thoughts.

Thanks,
 
I found these on the Iowa DOT website but all I wondered is if this applied to divided highways in addition to two lane roads:

• You must switch to low-beam headlights within 1,000 feet of an oncoming vehicle.
• You must also use your low-beam headlights when you are within 400 feet of the car you are following.
Click to expand...
 
the etiquette: Never ever, ever use high beams on a high way. Ever. Isn't that something they teach in Driver's Ed?

High beams are for dismally lit back country roads.
 
OP: check your state's laws (as someone else suggested) then your driver's license manual.

Be careful about using high beams on a highway -- for one thing, you'll never know when you might be unintentionally ticking off a cop! Buddy found that out the hard way and is wiser for it about $125 later. :D With that said, I don't normally use high beams on highways; usually just on back roads only.

On smaller roads, I usually switch to low beam as soon as I see another car's headlights facing me since if I don't (or wait too long), sometimes that annoys other drivers. And at night, especially around bar closing times, I don't want to risk road rage with tipsy drivers or contribute to them losing control.
 
400m from the car you're following in Aus, surprisingly there is no law regarding oncoming traffic though I just turn them off if I see a car coming towards me.
 
TuffLuffJimmy said:
the etiquette: Never ever, ever use high beams on a high way. Ever. Isn't that something they teach in Driver's Ed?

High beams are for dismally lit back country roads.
Click to expand...
That may be the etiquette that you have been taught, but there are some highways where I will use headlights instinctively, and feel that I should be. These are highways like the OP described, where there is a 65mph speed limited, 10 miles between exits, 2 northbound and 2 southbound lanes and you are essentially driving through the woods. The one road that I have in mind is the northern stretch of I-89 in NH, there are some turns where you need high-beams to see a turn that seems to come extremely quickly if only using low-beams. However I will not use high-beams if there is a car in front of me that can see them.

In means of what I follow for etiquette, if you can see their car (headlights, brake-lights) then you should be using low-beams at ALL times, I only use high-beams when I am essentially the only car on the road.

In means of the law, I am only familiar with MA law and here it is in a Boston.com article dated 2007 (so it may have changed since):
You're also supposed to kill your high beams whenever "substantial" objects, such as other cars or people, are visible within a distance of 350 feet, or whenever you're in a Massachusetts Turnpike Authority tunnel.

"The operator shall regulate the headlamps so that no dangerous or dazzling light shall" shine, the law says.

The general fine is $35 for a first offense, $75 for a second, and $150 for a third, though the oncoming car rule doesn't apply to cars traveling on divided highways, said Lieutenant Dana Pagley, commander of the State Police traffic program section.
Click to expand...
 
Use the high beams wherever you can down here - roos and wombats are bloody stupid. I've had friends hit a jumping roo at 110km/h in a Tarago and the damned thing ended up thrashing around in the back row all cut up from the collision.

A wombat weighs about 6 times as much as it looks like it should, a medium one will easily knock a car over should you hit one at a decent speed.

I guess it's kind of like deer and stuff in the US but at much, much higher numbers here judging by the difference in roadkill numbers spotted on the sides of the roads. Our highways are like long skinny killing fields.
 
ucfgrad93 said:
Like others have said, I use them but switch to low beams as soon as I see headlights coming at me.
Click to expand...

Wow! There mustn't be much wildlife (deer, foxes, porcupines) in your ditches to drive on low beams for so long. I wait as long as possible (1/4 mile or less) before dimming so I can see what is on and beside the road.

Here is what the Saskatchewan driver's hand book says:

When meeting another vehicle, you must dim your headlights at least 200 m
(650 ft.) in advance of oncoming vehicles and keep them dimmed until the
vehicle has passed.

Also, turn off any spotlamps at least 500 m (1,640 ft.) in advance of an
oncoming vehicle and keep them turned off until the vehicle
has passed.

You are not required to dim your headlights for oncoming traffic if you are
driving on a divided highway where the distance between the roadways is 22 m
(70 ft.) or more.

You must keep your headlights on low beam within 100 m (330 ft.) and keep
any spotlamps or auxiliary driving lights turned off within 500 m (1,640 ft.)
when you are following another vehicle, or when you are being passed.
High beams​

Summary: 1/8th mile for on-coming and a (Canadian) football field (330 ft) when overtaking a vehicle.

Here's the link to the handbook (http://www.sgi.sk.ca/sgi_pub/instructional/DriversHandbook/pdf/SGIDriverHandbook_full.pdf) It also talks about over-driving your headlights and dimming too soon.

Greg
 
TuffLuffJimmy said:
the etiquette: Never ever, ever use high beams on a high way. Ever. Isn't that something they teach in Driver's Ed?

High beams are for dismally lit back country roads.
Click to expand...

False. Hibeams are for a road with really no one on them. I have used my Hi beams on a high way before. I was going 10-15 mins with out seeing a car in either direction.

And to answer the OP question on what to do with Hibeams is it is the same as what you do on a 2 lane road.
Believe me on a road much like what you are talking about Hi beams from on coming traffic would still blind me if they did not dim them. There was a good 100' of space between each direction and it would still be able to blind me.
 
Common courtesy dictates that you shouldn't have them on if another car is within visible range.

I drive a mountain road to the coast late at night quite often, and it is a 2 lane/ 4 lane state highway, very twisty and windy, with lots and lots of wildlife. Typically as soon as I see a set of headlights in the distance I'll kill my floods (if I'm in my truck), and when they get within about 1000 ft I'll kill the high beams.

What bothers me the most is the pricks who come up behind me with their after market projector HID headlamps that have *horrible* pattern control and throw a ton of light right into my side view mirror.
 
Chundles said:
Use the high beams wherever you can down here - roos and wombats are bloody stupid. I've had friends hit a jumping roo at 110km/h in a Tarago and the damned thing ended up thrashing around in the back row all cut up from the collision.

A wombat weighs about 6 times as much as it looks like it should, a medium one will easily knock a car over should you hit one at a decent speed.

I guess it's kind of like deer and stuff in the US but at much, much higher numbers here judging by the difference in roadkill numbers spotted on the sides of the roads. Our highways are like long skinny killing fields.
Click to expand...

I just drove 32000km with my gf in Australia, and I've never seen one living wombat!! Dead, tons of them. Living, zip. They're probably as smart as roos (not very) but slower, so they get hit more. We killed a roo too, with our Pajero. By night, high beams and spotties on, 90/95Km/h south of Carnarvon, and this roo goes and jumps across the road right in front of the car. She bent the bumper a bit where she touched it, but the roo bar and underbody plate prevented further damage. We looked and she had an unfurred joey inside, but it was dead too. I'd say high beams are not only essential but it's even better to mount additional lights.
Here in Spain, it's 300m/1000ft in front of you, and nobody coming toward you.
 
As others have said, turn them off when you see the other car or are within 1/4 mile.

In places with small/rolling hills please turn them off then you see the clearance lights from an oncoming truck. Just because you can't see our headlights yet doesn't mean we can't see your headlights, our heads are right below the clearance lights.

If you are behind a truck at night please back off or pass quickly. Many people will come up behind us and follow us for miles before finally passing. meanwhile they want to see past us while tailgating so we wind up with one headlight shining in our mirror the whole time. When people do that to me I just let off the throttle/cruise and slow down until the person finally passes. Some people are so out of it that I'll get down to 40MPH before they finally pass, even in places where there is no traffic.
 
TuffLuffJimmy said:
the etiquette: Never ever, ever use high beams on a high way. Ever. Isn't that something they teach in Driver's Ed?

High beams are for dismally lit back country roads.
Click to expand...

Here on the east coast we have dismally lit highways, too.
 
TuffLuffJimmy said:
the etiquette: Never ever, ever use high beams on a high way. Ever. Isn't that something they teach in Driver's Ed?

High beams are for dismally lit back country roads.
Click to expand...

What if the highway is a dismally lit back country road?

For example, one poster mentioned I-89 in NH. I-89 from NH all the way up through VT is 2 lanes on each side, going through woods and mountains, and there's no street lights. Exits are 10-15 miles apart. You definitely need your high beams for it.
 
zioxide said:
What if the highway is a dismally lit back country road?

For example, one poster mentioned I-89 in NH. I-89 from NH all the way up through VT is 2 lanes on each side, going through woods and mountains, and there's no street lights. Exits are 10-15 miles apart. You definitely need your high beams for it.
Click to expand...
I was the one that mentioned it, I would be hesitant to drive that road at night if I didn't have high-beams or if I had any headlights out. You are in complete darkness at night there, and there are some pretty big turns that seem to come out of nowhere. I drive that road at night 2 times a week over the summer and despite driving that stretch that often, there are stretches of the road where turns surprise me, and these aren't little turns, you miss the turn and you drop into a 20' ditch.

Also, there are times with that road where they have had to shut down several mile stretches due to road conditions like a cliff of rock collapsing onto the road or even with a few months ago when a large sinkhole encompassed both lanes on one side of the road and the road had to be shutdown for a week for repairs. Driving at night you could easily be the first car to see the sinkhole and I know I would want to be able to see that way in advance to brake before falling into it.
 
thegoldenmackid said:
Depending on the state, the use of high beams is illegal, so I'd consult with that first.
Click to expand...
Wow! I've never heard of any state making high beams illegal. I've also driven in quite a few, and have never been ticketed for using them.

Billicus said:
I found these on the Iowa DOT website but all I wondered is if this applied to divided highways in addition to two lane roads:
Click to expand...
I think if you're within 6 inches of the limit, they'll let you off. ;) I don't know what the official law is in my state (or any other) but I decide based on whether or not I can tell the oncoming cars are using high beams, and whether they dim them as we approach one another. If the brights don't bother me, I figure it's ok to leave mine on. Again, I've never been ticketed, or talked to anyone else who has been for that.

If the divider is right next to the emergency lane, it's usually high enough to block the lights. But, that would occur in cities, where you'd have street lights. If out in the country, there might even be a stand of trees in between you and cars traveling the opposite direction.

In short, on a divided highway, I'm more concerned with dimming my lights for the cars in front of me than those on the opposite side. I hate being blinded by lights behind me in my side mirror.

TuffLuffJimmy said:
the etiquette: Never ever, ever use high beams on a high way. Ever. Isn't that something they teach in Driver's Ed?
Click to expand...
No.
 
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