Driving question

[dadofandrew]

I know you are required to dim your lights if you have your brights on when you meet another vehicle on a highway. However:

 

1. I know it is "polite" to switch from brights to dims if you are following another car, but is it required? I've never heard of anyone being ticketed for this, or even warned.

 

2. On a divided highway, are you supposed to dim your lights, especially in the left lane, when you "meet" a car? On Hwy 29, there is hardly any median in many places, so if you are in the left lane and meet a car in the other left lane, it is barely any farther away than a regular highway.

 

Always wondered both, thanks in advance.

[stoutdude04]

Within 500 yards they need to be on dim.

Im not sure on the second one. On 29 I always put them down because it is a small median like you said.

But I know for CERTAIN the first one is 500 yards. I had a professor come in just steamed because she was tailing a cop with her brights on. The cop told her from 500 yards they had to be dimmed....500 is such a long distance.

[TooLiveBrew]

I just usually dim when near other cars in general. I loathe people's high beams shining down on me when I drive.

[brewcrewman17]

I'd have to agree with TLB on this one; I have to be almost completely alone on the road to use my high beams, and even so, I turn them down just as soon as I catch a glimpse of another car, whether it be coming at me or turning onto the road in front of me, etc.

[sbrylski]

I use my blinker religiously without thinking. But I apologize, I'm one of those drivers that forgets to turn off the brights when we meet. I really don't mind it much when others do it to me, its much worse when they're behind you and you've got their lights in your mirrors.

[1992casey]

Here's the spiel on headlights from the Wisconsin Driver's manual (PDF).

• Dim your headlights 500 feet before you meet or come up behind a car on the highway. 500 feet is about 1 block.
• Dim your headlights when you drive along a lighted street at night.
• Dim your headlights in fog. Bright headlights cause glare.
• Parking lights are not legal for driving. Only use them at night to help others see your car when it is parked.
• Turn on your headlights when you are part of a funeral line.
• Turn on your headlights if it is raining, even just a little. Other drivers will be able to see you better.
• Headlights must be turned on during the hours of darkness. This is from 1?2 hour after sunset to 1?2 hour before sunrise, or anytime weather conditions make it hard to see.
• A good rule is, anytime your windshield wipers are on, your headlights should also be on.
• Sometimes you can see okay without your headlights on but it is hard for other drivers to see you. If it is cloudy and gray out, it's a good idea to turn on your headlights. That will help other drivers see your car.
• If you meet a car with its' bright lights on, look toward the right side of the road. This will help you see better until the car has passed.

It doesn't say anything specific about divided roadways, so I have to assume that the law applies to any roadway.

[stoutdude04]

Here's the spiel on headlights from the Wisconsin Driver's manual (PDF).

• Dim your headlights 500 feet before you meet or come up behind a car on the highway. 500 feet is about 1 block.

 

My professor must have misheard the officer. I thought 500 yards seemed a touch too long.

[whizkid]

I'm one of those drivers that forgets to turn off the brights when we meet. I really don't mind it much when others do it to me

 

One of those times you forget could be the last. Most people get more sensitive to light as they age and there are visual problems that can make it even worse yet don't disqualify one from getting a license. Just because it doesn't bother you doesn't mean it won't blind the oncoming driver and they cross the center line. It's not just a courtesy. I dim mine any time I can see a car coming or when I'm following.