At night you see less, later, and glare can leave you nearly blind for moments. Per mile driven, the fatal crash rate at night is two-and-a-half times the daytime rate. Use your lights correctly and never out-drive them.
Delaware law: headlights (not parking lights) must be on:
- After sunset and before sunrise
- Any other time you can't see beyond 1,000 feet
- Any time you use your windshield wipers
Switch to low beams
| Situation | Distance |
|---|---|
| Meeting an oncoming vehicle | Within 500 feet |
| Following another vehicle | Within 200 feet |
Know the rule
Use high beams whenever there's no oncoming traffic—they let you see twice as far—especially on unfamiliar roads, in construction areas and where people may be along the road.
Handbook p. 117 ↗Know the rule
Use low beams in fog or when it's snowing or raining hard—high beams reflect back as glare. Use fog lights too, if you have them.
Handbook p. 117 ↗Know the rule
Never drive with only parking lights on. If an oncoming driver keeps high beams on, flash your headlights quickly a couple of times; if they still don't dim, look toward the right edge of the road. Don't retaliate with your own brights.
Handbook p. 117 ↗Nighttime fatal crash rate per mile, compared with daytime
Handbook p. 123 ↗Know the rule
Most important at night: don't out-drive your headlights—keep your speed low enough to stop within the distance you can see. Don't stare at oncoming headlights; use quick glances.
Handbook p. 123 ↗Distance to react and stop (good tires and brakes, dry road)
| Speed | About |
|---|---|
| 30 mph | 200 feet—almost half a city block |
| 50 mph | 400 feet—about a city block |
Know the rule
Your headlights let you see about 350 feet ahead, so at night drive at a speed that lets you stop within that distance—about 50 mph.
Handbook p. 124 ↗Know the rule
In very heavy rain, snow or thick fog you may see only about 200 feet—then you can't safely drive faster than 30 mph. If you can't see well enough to drive, pull off in a safe place and wait.
Handbook p. 124 ↗Four-Second Sight Distance Rule
Pick a fixed object as far ahead as you can clearly see and count four seconds. If you reach it before 'four-one-thousand,' you're going too fast for your sight distance. Use it at night too.
Handbook p. 125 ↗Know the rule
If you can't see over a hill or around a curve, slow so you could stop for a vehicle stalled just beyond it. Give parked vehicles as much room as you safely can.
Handbook p. 124 ↗Put it into practice
On a dark country road you're using high beams. An oncoming car appears about a block away—within 500 feet—so you switch to low beams and glance toward the right edge of the road until it passes.