We live in a world full of work, errands, after-work activities and a lot of responsibilities. At times, you may feel like you want to take all the essentials for a caravan trip and hit the road, but it also requires some thought and preparation before you go. So, we are talking responsibilities again.
Whether on the road for an adventure or by the end of the day, driving back to their loved ones, drivers may be weary and experience difficulty focusing on some small details, such as which lights to turn on for different types of weather and road conditions.
There are different types of car lights and they are all important. However, driving lights are an essential part of a vehicle. They are a set of lights mounted on the front of the vehicle and they act along with the high beams in the headlights to provide the light you need on the road, especially while driving off-road or traversing dark roads.
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What Are Driving Lights for?
This type of car light provides a standard light pattern to the front and forward sides of your vehicle. When properly used, they provide a bright and safe light to help you see the road. You can find driving lights suitable for a range of car models and choose the one that matches your vehicle. These lights are always white as it’s a more powerful colour in the dark compared to other colours.
They are designed to send powerful beams far ahead, illuminating the next stretch of road that you have to traverse. For that reason, they can be considered an effective safety aid you can add to your car driving experience. Allowing you to see further down the road increases the amount of time you have to react to any obstacle, especially when driving in slippery conditions.
Also, illuminating a mile out can be very helpful on long nighttime drives as it enables you to relax instead of straining your eyes to make out the presence of ditches, animals or other obstacles at the last moment. But be careful at lower speeds in technical terrain as these lights may overwhelm you by reflecting light to you at a close distance.
Make sure that they are wired to engage only when the high beams are in use because they are very powerful and should not be employed around other drivers. The bright lights can be a distraction for them and take their attention away from the road.
Sometimes all it takes is just a moment of distraction to cause an accident, from a minor one to a severe wreck causing injuries to drivers and passengers. In some areas, penalties for inappropriate use of car driving lights are enforced.
You may own a car that already has these lights installed in it by the manufacturer or by a previous owner. If not, you may be interested in installing them on your vehicle, but before you do so, first look up the regulations for such lights within your region. Knowing all the restrictions may help you avoid being pulled over for unapproved use of this type of light or any other car lights.
To ensure quality and longevity, always look for brand-new car lights. If you have previous experience with maintaining or repairing your vehicle, you may want to do the installation of the lights yourself. If not, you can ask the help of professionals and let them do the job.
Other Types of Car Lights
Fog Lights
These lights are an excellent addition to any vehicle. They are mounted on the front of the vehicle and are designed to provide some extra light to the front of your car in poor visibility conditions, such as fog, dust, heavy rain and snow. They should be used in conjunction with the standard lights on a vehicle and only in specified conditions.
Technically, it’s not illegal to drive with fog lights on as long as they are aimed within the legal range and don’t provide a distraction to other drivers. However, it’s suggested to use them only when the conditions on the road require additional lighting.
They have a unique beam shape, with flat and wide beams. Most vehicles are equipped with both front and rear fog lights. The ones in the front extend your visibility range, so you can see as far as possible ahead of the car directly. But even if you can well, other drivers may not be able to distinguish objects clearly through the hazardous conditions and fog lights installed at the back of the car serve to warn other drivers of your car’s presence.
Headlights
Headlights are designed to be used whenever it’s dark. Make sure to switch them on during the evening or the night, in the time between twilight and sunrise. Also, you can use them on rainy days or grey, overcast days.
High Beams
High beams are strong lights used at night when there are fewer cars, or no cars at all, on the road. Typically, headlights can be adjusted between high and low beams, depending on the surrounding area and the traffic as well.
Low Beams
When a car in the opposing lane is approaching, you need to make sure to turn your lights down from high to low beams. Also, make sure to use low beams when following closely behind another vehicle.
These are not all the different car lights but are some of the most important ones. Make sure to always use them properly and follow all rules and regulations while driving.
