Roadwise States Arizona Driving lessons Night driving & wrong-way drivers Arizona driving lesson · Weather, Night Driving & Crash Avoidance
Night driving & wrong-way drivers A 3-minute lesson from the Arizona course. Read the rules and examples, follow the handbook page references, and check your understanding before you move on.
Read time 3 minutes
Course unit Weather, Night Driving & Crash Avoidance
Checkpoint questions 6
Source pages 57, 58, 59 At night you see less, glare can blind you, and objects appear late. Use your headlights correctly, never outdrive them, and stay alert for fatigue and wrong-way drivers — who are usually impaired.
Know the rule
Turn on your headlights — not parking lights — as soon as light begins to fade in the late afternoon.
Handbook p. 57 ↗ Know the rule
You must use headlights from sunset to sunrise. Never drive so fast that you can't stop within the distance your lights show.
Handbook p. 57 ↗ Know the rule
If an oncoming driver doesn't dim their high beams, don't look at the lights. Glance toward the right side of the road, then look ahead to track the other vehicle until you've passed.
Handbook p. 57 ↗ Highway hypnosis Also called "white line fever": a trance-like state that can occur during a long period of highway driving.
Handbook p. 58 ↗ Know the rule
Whenever you get tired, pull over and rest. Use the radio and fresh air, and stop every hour to walk and exercise.
Handbook p. 58 ↗ If you see a wrong-way driver on a divided highway: Slow down by easing your foot off the gas Make sure no vehicle is beside you, then steer away from the wrong-way driver Get to a safe place, call 911 and report it If overhead boards show a wrong-way driver ALERT, move toward the nearest exit as soon as safely possible Handbook p. 58 ↗ Know the rule
Wrong-way drivers are usually in the left or HOV lane but enter from the right via off-ramps. Most wrong-way crashes are caused by impaired drivers.
Handbook p. 58 ↗ Know the rule
Don't tailgate, so you can react if the car ahead suddenly swerves. Never drive distracted or impaired, and have a plan so you won't waste a moment.
Handbook p. 59 ↗ Put it into practice
At night on the Loop 101 you see headlights coming at you in the left lane. Ease off the gas, check that the lane to your right is clear, move away, then get somewhere safe and call 911.
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.
From what time of day must you use your headlights, per Arizona law? 30 minutes after sunset to sunrise Only after 9 p.m. Only when streetlights are off Sunset to sunrise Answer: Sunset to sunrise
You must use headlights from sunset to sunrise.
Handbook p. 57 ↗ On a highway, when may you use your high-beam headlights? When no oncoming car is within 200 feet When no oncoming car is within 1,000 feet When no oncoming car is within 500 feet Only within city limits Answer: When no oncoming car is within 500 feet
Use high beams on highways when no oncoming vehicle is within 500 feet; switch to low beams as vehicles approach.
Handbook p. 57 ↗ When following another vehicle at night, at what distance should you switch to low-beam headlights? Within 1,000 feet Within 200 feet Within 500 feet Within 50 feet Answer: Within 200 feet
Use low beams whenever you are within 200 feet of the vehicle you're following, to avoid blinding the driver ahead.
Handbook p. 57 ↗ If an oncoming car's high beams are not dimmed, what should you do? Look toward the right edge of the road Stare directly at the headlights to judge distance Flash your own high beams repeatedly at them Speed up to pass the glare quickly Answer: Look toward the right edge of the road
Avoid looking directly at bright oncoming lights; glance toward the right side of the road instead, then look ahead again.
Handbook p. 57 ↗ What is 'highway hypnosis' or 'white line fever'? Temporary blindness from headlights Dizziness from heat and dehydration Anger at other drivers in traffic A trance-like state on long highway drives Answer: A trance-like state on long highway drives
Highway hypnosis is a trance-like state during long highway drives; using the radio, fresh air, and rest stops helps prevent it.
Handbook p. 58 ↗ You should use low beams, not high beams, when driving on city or town streets. True False Answer: True
Low beams are appropriate for city or town streets to avoid blinding other drivers and pedestrians.
Handbook p. 57 ↗ Previous lesson Fog, snow, ice & low visibility Next lesson Vehicle failures: tires, fire, overheating, steering, lights, brakes More in Weather, Night Driving & Crash Avoidance Braking, stopping distance & the open road 3 min Sun glare, wind & dust storms 3 min Rain, hydroplaning & flooded washes 3 min Fog, snow, ice & low visibility 3 min Vehicle failures: tires, fire, overheating, steering, lights, brakes 3 min About the source Roadwise’s Arizona course uses the driver handbook edition supplied with this study pack. This lesson cites source pages 57, 58, 59. The linked PDF is a third-party mirror of the handbook, rather than a government-hosted page.
Open the handbook source PDF · View the source edition
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