Pennsylvania driving lesson · Space, Speed and Conditions
Night driving and headlight laws
A 3-minute lesson from the Pennsylvania course. Read the rules and examples, follow the handbook page references, and check your understanding before you move on.
Night is the most dangerous time to drive. You see less, glare can blind you, and more tired or impaired drivers are out. Pennsylvania law spells out exactly when your headlights must be on and when you must dim them.
3 to 4 times
How much higher traffic fatality rates are at night than in daylight
With less light you judge distance, see color and use side vision less well. Compared to signs and other roadside objects, pedestrians are the hardest to see at night.
If an oncoming driver keeps high beams on, flash your high beams quickly a few times. If they still don't dim, look toward the right side of the road. Never keep your brights on to punish them.
If a following car's lights glare in your rearview mirror, switch the inside mirror to its nighttime setting. When following a truck at night, always dim your lights; they reflect off its large side mirrors.
It's a gray afternoon and drizzling, so your wipers are on intermittent. Turn on your headlights (not just daytime running lights): the wiper law requires them, and your tail lights must be lit.
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.
According to the handbook, overall traffic fatality rates at night compared to daytime are:
About the same
Slightly lower
3 to 4 times higher
Twice as high, at most
Answer: 3 to 4 times higher
Fatality rates are three to four times higher at night than during the day.