35.85. What should you do if, while driving at night, an oncoming vehicle is approaching with high beam headlights on and is dazzling you?
UAЩо робити, якщо під час руху вночі зустрічний автомобіль рухається із увімкненим дальнім світлом фар та засліплює Вас?
This is an exam question from the Traffic Rules of Ukraine about driving safety at night and the correct actions a driver should take when blinded by oncoming headlights. Such a situation is a sudden change in the road environment: if you look directly at the source of the bright light, you may temporarily lose orientation, fail to keep your lane, and create the risk of a head-on collision or running off the road. Therefore, the theoretical exam tests not 'tricks,' but the basic skill of maintaining control over your trajectory, even when visibility suddenly worsens.
The question relates to sections of the traffic rules concerning the driver's duties and the choice of a safe speed (in particular, the requirement to be attentive and constantly control the vehicle, as well as driving at night and in conditions of poor visibility). The practical meaning is simple: to reduce the blinding effect and not lose your direction, the driver should focus on a stable visual reference point on the right — the edge of the roadway, the marking line, or the boundary of the pavement, without staring into the headlights of the oncoming car.
The analysis of the answer options in this exam question shows the difference between useful and dangerous behavior. Flashing your headlights quickly does not give a reliable result: the blinding effect does not disappear instantly, and your attention is diverted from controlling the road. Turning on your high beams in response is an incorrect and risky reaction: it can further blind the other driver and worsen the situation for both, and also contradicts the logic of the section on the use of lighting devices. Instead, looking toward the right edge of the road allows you to avoid looking at the source of the glare while maintaining orientation within your lane, which meets the requirements of the Traffic Rules of Ukraine for safe driving.
Clause 2.3 (driver's duties)
To ensure road safety, the driver is obliged to: b) be attentive, monitor the traffic situation, respond appropriately to its changes, monitor the correct placement and securing of cargo, the technical condition of the vehicle, and not be distracted from driving this vehicle on the road.
Explanation: being dazzled by oncoming headlights is a sudden change in the traffic situation to which the driver must respond immediately and safely. The practical method of "not looking at the source of glare" but controlling the direction of movement by reference points (the right edge of the carriageway) follows from the duty to be attentive and not lose control over the trajectory.
Clause 12.1 (choosing a safe speed)
When choosing a safe speed within established limits, the driver must take into account the traffic situation, the specifics of the cargo being transported, and the condition of the vehicle, so as to be able to constantly control its movement and drive it safely.
Explanation: when dazzled, the ability to "constantly control movement" deteriorates, so the driver must act in a way that does not lose orientation (including shifting their gaze to the right edge of the carriageway as a stable visual reference).
Clause 12.2 (speed at night and in poor visibility)
At night and in conditions of poor visibility, the speed of movement must be such that the driver can stop the vehicle within the visible distance of the road.
Explanation: glare actually temporarily reduces visibility, so the driver must act to maintain the ability to stop safely within the visible range (in particular, orienting themselves by the right edge of the carriageway, without "catching" the headlight beam with their eyes).
Clause 19.2 (use of high beam headlights)
The high beam must be switched to low beam at least 250 m before an oncoming vehicle, as well as when it may dazzle other drivers.
Explanation: this clause describes the correct behavior of the oncoming driver (they must not dazzle). In your situation, they are violating the requirement, and you must ensure traffic safety by maintaining orientation in your lane—specifically, by diverting your gaze from the headlights to the right edge of the carriageway.
Clause 1.10 (term "Carriageway")
Carriageway — an element of the road intended for the movement of non-rail vehicles.
Explanation: the answer to the question uses the reference "right edge of the carriageway," i.e., the boundary of the road element on which movement is carried out.
Clause 1.10 (term "Shoulder")
Shoulder — an element of the road that directly adjoins the carriageway, is located at the same level as it, and is not intended for the movement of vehicles, except in cases provided for by these Rules.
Explanation: in educational explanations, it is often said "look towards the right shoulder/to the right," but in the exam answer, it is more correctly formulated as "the right edge of the carriageway" (a reference point for maintaining the trajectory without leaving the carriageway).
Clause 1.10 (term "Nighttime")
Nighttime — the period from the end of evening twilight to the beginning of morning twilight.
Explanation: the question is directly related to nighttime driving conditions, when the risk of being dazzled by headlights is most typical.
Thus, the correct answer is "Look at the right edge of the carriageway," given that according to the definition of the Traffic Rules, the driver must be attentive and constantly control the movement of the vehicle, and at night, speed/actions must ensure control within the visible range; diverting the gaze to the right edge of the carriageway reduces the effect of glare and helps maintain the direction of movement.
While driving at night, the driver's eyes operate in low visibility mode, so the bright lights of oncoming vehicles, especially high beams, can sharply "block" the view of the road. In such a situation, the most dangerous thing to do is to follow your instinct, namely to try to look directly at the oncoming car or to "overcome" the glare by staring at the center of the lane. This only intensifies the blinding effect and increases the risk of losing orientation.
To maintain control over the trajectory, the driver should use a stable and safe reference point. The most reliable reference point at this moment is the right edge of the roadway: the marking line, the edge of the asphalt, or the shoulder. When you shift your gaze to the right, you move it away from the source of the bright light, reducing the effect of glare, and at the same time continue to see where the edge of the road is. This helps keep the car in its lane and prevents you from veering into oncoming traffic or off the road.
Imagine an oncoming encounter on a country road: suddenly, "blinding" headlights appear ahead, and the contours of the road become less visible. If you look at the right edge, you can maintain your direction by following the markings or the edge of the pavement even when the center of the road and the oncoming vehicle appear only as a bright spot. This action allows you to maintain spatial orientation until the vehicles have passed each other.
Therefore, the correct answer is "Look at the right edge of the roadway," because this diverts your gaze from the blinding headlights and allows you to keep a reference point for safely keeping your vehicle within your lane.