35.10. Which external lighting devices will provide you with the best road visibility when driving at night during a heavy snowstorm?
UAУвімкнення яких зовнішніх світлових приладів забезпечить вам найкращу видимість дороги під час руху вночі за сильної хуртовини?
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This exam question from the Traffic Rules of Ukraine concerns driving safety at night and in conditions of limited visibility, when the correct choice of lighting mode directly affects whether you can see the edge of the roadway, obstacles, and whether you remain visible to others. During a snowstorm, the main problem is the reflection of light from snowflakes, which reduces contrast and can create a "white wall" effect in front of the vehicle.
The question tests knowledge of the section of the traffic rules regarding the use of external lighting devices (in particular, points 19.1 and 19.4) and understanding of the terms "limited visibility" and "nighttime" (point 1.10). For the theoretical exam, it is important not just to memorize the allowed combinations, but also to understand the logic: in snowfall, the light should illuminate the road surface, not highlight the curtain of precipitation in the air.
The combination of fog lights with high beam in a snowstorm is ineffective: the high beam shines higher and farther, more strongly illuminates the snow in front of the car, and provokes blinding by its own reflected light, which actually worsens visibility. In contrast, the combination of fog lights with low beam works more effectively: the low beam illuminates the necessary area in front of the vehicle, while the fog lights, due to their lower placement and wide flat beam, better illuminate the road in the lower layer of air, where there is usually less snow suspension. This practical knowledge from the Traffic Rules of Ukraine helps to avoid the common mistake of "turning on all the lights" and to maintain control of the situation in difficult weather conditions.
Clause 1.10 (term "Insufficient visibility")
Insufficient visibility — road visibility of less than 300 m in twilight, fog, rain, snowfall, etc.
Clause 1.10 (term "Dark time of day")
Dark time of day — the period from sunset to sunrise.
Clause 19.1
At night and in conditions of insufficient visibility, regardless of road lighting, low or high beam headlights must be turned on on the vehicle.
Clause 19.4
Fog lights may be used in conditions of insufficient visibility either separately or together with low or high beam headlights.
That is, the correct answer is "Fog lights together with low beam headlights," given that a snowstorm is considered a condition of insufficient visibility (clause 1.10), in which headlights must be turned on (clause 19.1), and the Traffic Rules explicitly allow the use of fog lights together with low beam headlights (clause 19.4) to improve visibility in such conditions.
When driving at night during a heavy snowstorm, the main problem for the driver is not the lack of light as such, but the reflection of the beam from snowflakes flying towards you. When light hits a dense curtain of snow, it returns back toward the driver and sharply reduces the contrast of the road and the roadside. Therefore, the correct choice of lighting mode directly affects visibility.
High beams do not provide an advantage in such conditions. They shine higher and farther, and therefore illuminate the snow curtain in front of the car more intensely. Instead of the road surface, the driver starts to see a bright veil of light with no clear boundaries, which actually worsens orientation and can cause blinding by one's own reflected light.
Low beams work differently: they are directed lower, illuminate the necessary section of the road in front of the car, and create fewer reflections from the snow. As a result, the driver can better see the edge of the roadway, the markings (if visible), the roadside, and possible obstacles in their lane at a safe distance.
Front fog lights complement the low beams. They are installed lower and form a wide, "flat" beam of light, which more effectively illuminates the road surface in the lower layer of air, where there is usually less snow "suspension." That is why in conditions of heavy snowfall or a snowstorm, it is advisable to turn them on together with the low beams to better see the road without unnecessary illumination of the snow in front of the car.
A typical mistake drivers make in a snowstorm is to instinctively turn on "all the lights," especially the high beams. In practice, this has the opposite effect: visibility does not increase, but decreases due to a curtain of light from the snowflakes right in front of the hood.
Therefore, the correct answer is "Fog lights together with low beams," since this combination better illuminates the road surface and reduces glare from the snow, whereas high beams in a snowstorm worsen visibility.