Alabama driving lesson · Adjust to Driving Conditions
Night driving
A 3-minute lesson from the Alabama course. Read the rules and examples, follow the handbook page references, and check your understanding before you move on.
About half of Alabama's fatal crashes happen in the dark, even though traffic is light. Most of the reasons come down to vision: you can see only as far as your headlights reach.
About half
Share of Alabama's fatal motor vehicle crashes that occur during darkness
Headlights, not just parking lights, must be on from a half-hour after sunset to a half-hour before sunrise, and whenever you can't see clearly for at least 500 feet. When in doubt, turn on low beams.
Glare from oncoming lights: look away, toward the right edge of the pavement and the white edge line. Glare from behind: use a day-night mirror or adjust your mirror.
Relieve eye fatigue by moving your eyes from the road to the sides and from near to far. A companion can act as a second pair of eyes for signs and hazards.
Excessive speed is more dangerous at night. Obey posted limits even if you know the road, because they protect you from the unexpected, like a deer leaping out or a crash before authorities arrive.
You're on high beams on a dark highway when an oncoming car appears about 600 feet away. Dim your lights by the time it's within 500 feet. If you then catch up to a car ahead, stay on low beams once within 200 feet of it.
Check your understanding
Read the question, decide on an answer, then open it to check the explanation. These are Roadwise study questions based on the source handbook.
About what fraction of fatal motor vehicle crashes in Alabama occur during hours of darkness?
About half
About one-quarter
Nearly all of them
About one-tenth
Answer: About half
The handbook states approximately half of fatal crashes in Alabama occur during the hours of darkness.