Did you learn how to properly use the "brights" in your car when you were learning to drive?
By The Horse
@TheHorse (224821)
Walnut Creek, California
March 20, 2025 10:37pm CST
When i was in my teens, I learned how to drive. One of the things we were taught was how to properly use your "brights" at night. If you are on a long and lonesome road, use your brights. You might spy a deer and her two fawns at a distance and slow down.
But if a car is coming toward you, you turn your brights down to "low beams" when they are maybe 300 feet from you.
When I drive in Montana, I see this rule followed pretty consistently. But in California, I sometimes see drivers cruising around with their brights on, oblivious to the fact that they are blinding drivers coming toward them.
Were you trained as I was? Do you think that younger drivers are being adequately trained?
9 people like this
8 responses
@kaylachan (76393)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
21 Mar
I live in Florida, where every other car drives with no lights, and treat stop signs like suggestions.
3 people like this
@kaylachan (76393)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
21 Mar
@TheHorse I would guess young adults, because they don't seem to care about rules of anything. Then again, this is Florida, people swim with gators, despite warnings. Gators will cross our roads if we have to. I've had to stop many a time so a flock of birds could cross my path. We are into some crazy stuff here. And, safety might as well be a four letter word.
2 people like this
@TheHorse (224821)
• Walnut Creek, California
21 Mar
@kaylachan Would't young adults rather see the road than not see the road?
2 people like this
@sw8sincere (5550)
• Philippines
21 Mar
Yes! I was taught the same rule about using brights, but I’ve definitely noticed that not everyone follows it. It can be super frustrating (and blinding) when drivers leave them on. I feel like some newer drivers either weren’t taught properly or just don’t think about it. Do you think it’s a training issue or just people being careless?
3 people like this
@wolfgirl569 (113694)
• Marion, Ohio
21 Mar
I learned it. Sadly many don't do it here
2 people like this
@wolfgirl569 (113694)
• Marion, Ohio
22 Mar
@TheHorse Remember who they voted for 
1 person likes this
@TheHorse (224821)
• Walnut Creek, California
22 Mar
@wolfgirl569 Yeah. I thought of that.
1 person likes this
@LindaOHio (185259)
• United States
21 Mar
I always knew to turn off the brights when someone was coming. People aren't as thoughtful and considerate these days.
2 people like this
@Danielclark691 (2061)
•
21 Mar
Many people don’t even know when to use fog lights, or when to put their headlights on in an evening
3 people like this
@porwest (98526)
• United States
21 Mar
Yes. I always understood this to be a rule also aligned with common sense. As someone once told me, although I don't always follow this rule, if you encounter a rude driver who DOESN'T turn his high beams off, you are not supposed to blast him with your own high beams as two blinded drivers coming toward each other can be a dangerous proposition.
At the same time, I will blast a rude driver every time. 
2 people like this
@TheHorse (224821)
• Walnut Creek, California
21 Mar
I was taught differently. If someone forgets to turn their brights down, yu FLASH your brights at the to let them know they're in la la land. Usually they will "wake up" and turn theirs down. If they don't, Then I blast them when they're about 100 feet in front of me, when I know I can get by them safely.
"if you encounter a rude driver who DOESN'T turn his high beams off, you are not supposed to blast him with your own high beams as two blinded drivers coming toward each other can be a dangerous proposition"
2 people like this
@Fleura (31371)
• United Kingdom
21 Mar
A few weeks ago I was out on one of my volunteer driver trips and as I turned down a residential street I was practically blinded by a car coming the other way. This was in the middle of the day, broad daylight, and the car had those modern ultra-bright lights. I stopped to ask the driver if she could dip her headlights; she said it was her husband's car and he didn't know how to! I was tempted to say if she didn't know how to use it she shouldn't be driving it.
She was middle aged, so not a young driver. I could see purple spots for quite a while after that.
Most drivers seem to use their lights correctly. As well as other cars, drivers should also dip their lights for ANY other road users including cyclists and pedestrians. Not everyone seems to realise that.
The problem we have here at the moment is that the newer type of lights are so bright that even on low beam they still dazzle oncoming drivers. It's such a problem that there are plans to limit brightness.
1 person likes this
