Are there any laws against driving with your high beams on when traveling on a large divided highways?
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Are there any laws against driving with your high beams on when traveling on a large divided highways?
I think they must be dimmed when there is oncoming traffic and in urban areas and that`s the law.
From the PA Driver's Manual:
• Use your “low beam” setting during heavy fog, snow or heavy rain. Light from your “high beam” setting will reflect and cause glare. Use low beams as soon as you see another vehicle approaching in the oncoming lane as high beams can “blind” the other driver.
Pennsylvania law requires that you use low beams whenever you are within 500 feet of an oncoming vehicle and when you are following a vehicle within 300 feet.
If a vehicle using high beams comes toward you, flash your lights quickly a few times. If the driver does not dim the lights, look toward the right side of the road. This will keep you from being “blinded” by the other vehicle’s headlights and will allow you to see enough of the road’s edge to stay on your course until the vehicle passes.
Do not try to punish the other driver by keeping your bright lights on. If you do, both of you may be “blinded.” It is better if at least one of you can see well.
It is very important that you dim your high beams for oncoming bicyclists and pedestrians (especially runners). These road users may be blinded by high beams, and you expose them to grave danger if you don’t dim your high beams.
Rule of thumb is if you can see another person's headlights, they can see yours, and you should be using your low beams. So if the highway's opposing lanes are divided by an obstruction tall enough that you can't see headlights of oncoming cars, then you should be fine using your high beams as long as there's nobody in front of you that you can see. Otherwise stick to your low beams.
One obviously common reason would be that the greater rate of travel requires a longer visual range to maintain adequate reaction times. In other words if you're going faster the high beams make it easier to see farther when that 12 point jumps out into the road.
What highways do you drive that already have adequate lighting??
Oh, just checked, you're in Philadelphia; most of the rest of the state doesn't have lighted highways. We don't like bright lights everywhere because then you can't see the stars.
Exception to rule of thumb: A semi driver sits well above his lights, so if you can see a trucks clearance lights, but his head lights are not visible above the jersey barriers, you should dim your high beams. Although you may not see his lights, he may still be blinded by yours.
I thought that (at least when I was learning to drive) a divided highway was the only exception to not requiring low beams when oncoming traffic approached.
I dim mine anyway because today's headlamps are so much brighter. Same with the 300 ft rule to the rear. I dim if I can see your taillights at all.