9.53. What must be switched on while driving on roads outside populated areas during daylight hours on a motor vehicle that is not equipped with daytime running lights?
UAЩо слід умикати під час руху на дорогах поза населеними пунктами у світлу пору доби на механічному транспортному засобі за відсутності в його конструкції денних ходових вогнів?
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This exam question from the Traffic Rules of Ukraine concerns road safety and the visibility of vehicles on rural roads during daylight hours. On highways, speeds are higher, distances are greater, and maneuvers are often performed in advance, so the traffic rules require additional marking of the vehicle with external lighting devices so that other drivers can notice it in the flow ahead of time.
The question tests knowledge of Section 9 "Warning Signals," specifically clause 9.8: outside populated areas during the day, daytime running lights must be turned on, and if they are not provided by the vehicle's design, low beam headlights must be used as a mandatory substitute. It is also important to understand the terms from clause 1.10 (what daytime running lights are and what is considered a populated area)—this is the typical logic assessed by the theoretical exam.
The analysis of the answer options is simple but fundamental. The hazard warning lights are intended to warn of danger, forced stops, or other special cases, so turning them on during normal driving is not the correct action. Position lights only indicate the dimensions of the vehicle and do not fulfill the requirement of clause 9.8 regarding increased visibility while driving. In contrast, low beam headlights are directly named in the Traffic Rules as a substitute for daytime running lights if they are not present in the design; fog lights are also not such a substitute, as their use is related to conditions of insufficient visibility (Section 19, clause 19.5).
Clause 9.8 (Section 9 “Warning Signals”)
When driving mechanical vehicles during daylight hours outside populated areas, daytime running lights must be switched on, and if the vehicle is not equipped with them — the low beam headlights must be switched on.
Explanation of application: this clause directly establishes the obligation to turn on daytime running lights, and if they are not structurally present — it is mandatory to use low beam headlights when driving outside populated areas during daylight hours (regardless of the season).
Clause 1.10 (term “Daytime Running Lights”)
Daytime running lights are external lighting devices designed to improve the visibility of a moving vehicle during daylight hours.
Clause 1.10 (term “Populated Area”)
A populated area is a built-up area, the entrances to and exits from which are marked by road signs 5.45, 5.46, 5.47, 5.48.
Clause 19.5 (Section 19 “Use of External Lighting Devices”)
Fog lights may be used in conditions of insufficient visibility either separately or together with low or high beam headlights.
Explanation of application: the traffic rules associate fog lights specifically with conditions of insufficient visibility, so they are not a substitute for low beam headlights as provided by the traffic rules in the situation described in clause 9.8 (driving during daylight hours outside a populated area in the absence of DRLs).
That is, the correct answer is “Low beam headlights,” given that according to the definition of the traffic rules, when driving a mechanical vehicle during daylight hours outside populated areas, daytime running lights must be switched on, and if they are not present in the design — low beam headlights.
When driving outside populated areas during daylight hours, the Traffic Rules require that a motor vehicle be more visible to other road users. That is why paragraph 9.8 of the Traffic Rules provides for the mandatory use of special external lighting in such conditions.
The general principle is simple: if the vehicle is equipped with daytime running lights by design, the driver must turn them on. But if daytime running lights are not provided by the vehicle's design, the Traffic Rules establish a clear substitute: you need to turn on the low beam headlights. This rule applies when driving outside populated areas during daylight hours, regardless of the season.
For example, if you are driving an older model car that does not have daytime running lights, when you go out on the highway during the day, you must drive with your low beam headlights on. Using fog lights instead does not count as fulfilling the requirement, since the Traffic Rules specify low beam headlights as the substitute for daytime running lights in their absence.
Therefore, the correct answer is "Low beam headlights," because according to paragraph 9.8 of the Traffic Rules, outside populated areas during the day, in the absence of daytime running lights, it is necessary to turn on the low beam headlights to increase the visibility of the vehicle.