headlights – The Wise Drive

December 23, 2020July 18, 2024

Saving Pedestrians With Your Headlights

Q: I’m concerned about pedestrians getting killed on the road. I think the lack of use of high beam lights is likely the cause of the drivers not seeing the pedestrians. I have a problem for you to solve. How far do typical low beam lights light the road ahead and how long does it take the average driver to stop their car traveling at 50 mph? Could these lives have been spared had the drivers just used their high beam lights?

A: Having just experienced the darkest day of the year (we always call it the shortest day, but it’s still 24 hours long so that’s not really accurate is it?) it seems appropriate to talk about headlights. With over 15 hours of darkness in every day this week, there’s a good chance that some of your driving will be in the dark.

October 15, 2020July 18, 2024

When It’s Foggy, Camouflage Is A Bad Look

Q: Why would someone in a gray car drive without their headlights on when it’s a foggy day?

A: How about I answer a rhetorical question with a non-rhetorical answer? And yes, I just started a non-rhetorical answer with a rhetorical question. Also, is a non-rhetorical answer even a thing? Probably not, but this isn’t an English lesson, so let’s talk about headlights and fog.

August 20, 2020July 18, 2024

Five Ways to Be (Very) Wrong About Driving

Q: I got pulled over because I didn’t dim my headlights at night. All I did was flash my headlights because I thought the oncoming headlights were way too bright. I wasn’t driving with my high beams on. I feel it’s bull***t. I was charged with failure to dim my lights, driving on a revoked license and DUI. Was I driving DUI? Yes. I just don’t feel they had probable cause to pull me over. Never seen me driving drunk or nothing. Please help.

A. You’re not going to like this. –long pause– Now that I’ve taken a few deep breaths, I’m going to dial my response back a bit so this is still publishable. Here we go: You’re wrong. You were wrong when you drove with a revoked license. You were wrong to get in the driver’s seat while impaired. You’re wrong about the officer’s probable cause. You’re wrong about the officer not seeing you driving impaired. The only thing you’re right about is that you need help. But I suspect you weren’t asking for that kind of help so you’re wrong there too.

March 29, 2020July 18, 2024

Driving Faster Than Light

Q: I’m very concerned about the people on the roads who never seem to use their high beams. Out in the county there can be literally anything on the road and high beams are needed to see what is there. Can you give the stopping distance for a car traveling at, say 50 mph, for the average driver? And how far does the average low beam travel? We had one neighbor who said she never used her high beams “because the lights frighten the deer and cause them to run into the road.” Honestly. Have you ever heard this argument? Can you please rebut it for me? She won’t listen to us. Are there any laws for drivers who aren’t using high beam when needed?

A: I’ve heard plenty of criticism of drivers who fail to dim their headlights; this is the first time someone has written in with such passion demanding that drivers use their high beams more often. And it is a valid point. I think as drivers we often overestimate the effectiveness of our headlights and think we can see farther than we really can. So let’s work through the questions.

January 26, 2020July 18, 2024

Sunset, Dusk, and Headlights

Q: I recently found out that headlights are required 30 minutes after dusk. Wouldn’t it make more sense to require headlights before it gets dark instead of after? And if someone doesn’t have their headlights on at night is it okay to flash my lights to let them know?

A: You’re absolutely right about it making sense to turn headlights on before it gets dark. And based on the word count in your question, you’re roughly 95 percent right about the law. The law doesn’t used the word “dusk”; it uses “sunset.” On a side note, wouldn’t it be great if our correctness was judged on how many words we got right instead of the overall level of accuracy of a statement based on one incorrect word? Okay, maybe that’s a terrible idea, but anyone with good grammar could be factually wrong a lot and still have a high correctness score.