19.25. In which mode should your headlights be switched on when passing oncoming vehicles at night?
UAУ якому режимі у вас повинні бути ввімкнені фари при зустрічному роз'їзді вночі?
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This exam question from the Traffic Rules of Ukraine concerns road safety during nighttime and the correct use of external lighting devices. At night, road illumination directly affects visibility and the driver's ability to react in time, but at the same time, using the wrong headlight mode can blind other road users and provoke a dangerous situation when vehicles approach each other.
The question tests knowledge of Section 19 of the Traffic Rules regarding the use of lighting devices, specifically the requirements of clause 19.2. According to this clause, high beams must be switched to low beams in advance at least 250 meters before an oncoming vehicle (and earlier if there is a risk of dazzling or if the oncoming driver signals by switching their lights). Therefore, the actual passing of oncoming vehicles at night should be done with low beams, so as not to impair the visibility of the oncoming driver.
The analysis of the options in the theoretical exam is logical: using high beams during an approach causes dazzling and contradicts the requirements of 19.2, so it is not suitable for the moment of passing. Fog lights are not a substitute for low beams in this situation: they are used in conditions of insufficient visibility and do not cancel the obligation to switch from high to low beams when meeting oncoming traffic. In practice, this means: reduce your speed according to the visibility provided by low beams and switch in advance and smoothly, and after passing, you can use high beams again if it is safe and there are no other vehicles ahead or oncoming.
Clause 19.2
«High beams must be switched to low beams at least 250 m before an oncoming vehicle, as well as when they may dazzle other drivers, including those traveling in the same direction. The lights must also be switched at a greater distance if the driver of the oncoming vehicle signals the need by periodically flashing their headlights.»
Application: during an oncoming passing maneuver at night (in the dark), the high beams must be switched to low beams in advance so as not to dazzle the driver of the oncoming vehicle; therefore, the actual passing maneuver is performed with low beams.
Clause 1.10 (term "Dark time of day")
Dark time of day — the part of the day from the end of evening twilight to the beginning of morning twilight.
Application: the question contains the condition "at night," that is, during the dark time of day, when the requirements of Section 19 regarding the use of external lighting devices apply in full.
That is, the correct answer is "In low beam mode," given that according to the definition in the Traffic Rules, during an oncoming passing maneuver at night, the high beams must be switched to low beams in advance (at least 250 m) so as not to dazzle the oncoming driver.
While driving at night, the driver may use high beams to better see the road. However, when an oncoming vehicle appears, the safety of both drivers becomes the priority, as high beams can dazzle and deprive the oncoming driver of proper visibility.
That is why clause 19.2 of the Traffic Rules of Ukraine establishes the requirement: high beams must be switched to low beams in advance, no less than 250 meters before meeting an oncoming vehicle, as well as in any situation where there is a risk of dazzling other drivers. If the oncoming driver signals by periodically flashing their headlights, it means you are already disturbing them with your lights, and you should switch to low beams even earlier.
In practice, it looks like this: you are driving at night on a country road with your high beams on, you notice the headlights of an oncoming car, and in advance, before getting closer, you switch to low beams. During the actual meeting with the oncoming vehicle, the headlights must operate in low beam mode, and after passing, if there are no other cars, you can turn the high beams back on.
Therefore, the correct answer is "In low beam mode," since during an oncoming meeting at night, high beams must be switched to low beams in advance so as not to dazzle the oncoming driver, as required by clause 19.2 of the Traffic Rules of Ukraine.