9.54. What exactly must be switched on in mechanical vehicles outside populated areas during daylight hours?
UAЩо саме слід умикати на механічних транспортних засобах поза населеними пунктами в світлий час доби?
Question without image
This exam question from the Traffic Rules of Ukraine concerns road safety on rural roads and the correct use of external lighting devices during daylight hours. Outside populated areas, speeds are usually higher, distances are greater, and visibility conditions change more rapidly (rain, fog, overcast weather, or the car’s color blending with the background). That is why the traffic rules require vehicles to be marked in advance so that other drivers can notice them earlier and assess the situation more safely.
The question tests knowledge of the section of the Traffic Rules regarding warning signals and the use of lighting devices, specifically the requirement of clause 9.8. According to this rule, when driving mechanical vehicles outside populated areas during the day, daytime running lights must be used, and if they are not provided by the vehicle’s design (or are actually absent as equipment), then low beam headlights are used as a mandatory alternative. This is a typical situation for the theoretical exam: it is important to distinguish between “not present in the design” and “I want to turn on something else.”
Analysis of the answer options helps to avoid mistakes: high beam headlights are not required for daytime driving outside populated areas and can dazzle others, so as a universal answer they are incorrect. Hazard warning lights are used in other cases (emergency stop, danger, etc.) and do not replace the mandatory marking of the vehicle during normal driving. Only the combination “daytime running lights, and if absent in the design — low beam headlights” precisely corresponds to clause 9.8 of the Traffic Rules of Ukraine and the logic of increasing visibility on rural roads.
Clause 9.8
When driving mechanical vehicles outside populated areas during daylight hours, daytime running lights must be switched on, and if they are not present in the vehicle's design, low beam headlights must be used.
Clause 1.10 (term "Daytime running lights")
Daytime running lights are external white lighting devices intended to improve the visibility of the vehicle while it is moving during daylight hours.
Clause 1.10 (term "Mechanical vehicle")
A mechanical vehicle is a vehicle propelled by an engine. This term applies to tractors, self-propelled machines and mechanisms, as well as trolleybuses and vehicles with an electric motor with a power of more than 3 kW.
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.
Thus, the correct answer is "Daytime running lights, and if they are not present in the vehicle's design – low beam headlights," given that according to the definition in the Traffic Rules, clause 9.8 directly requires switching on DRLs outside populated areas during daylight hours or, if they are not present in the design, low beam headlights.
Outside populated areas, even during daylight hours, a vehicle must be clearly visible from a distance to both oncoming and following drivers. On rural roads, speeds are generally higher, distances are greater, and therefore the time to recognize a vehicle and make a decision is shorter. That is why the Rules establish the obligation to turn on lighting devices that increase the visibility of the vehicle.
Clause 9.8 of the Traffic Rules of Ukraine states that when driving outside populated areas during daylight hours, daytime running lights must be turned on on motor vehicles. They serve a warning function: they do not illuminate the road like headlights at night, but they clearly mark the vehicle against the background of the surroundings, especially in cloudy weather, rain, fog, or when the color of the vehicle blends with the environment.
At the same time, not all vehicles are structurally equipped with daytime running lights. Therefore, the Rules immediately provide an alternative: if the vehicle is not equipped with daytime running lights, the driver must turn on the low beam headlights. In practice, this means: once you leave the populated area during the day, check if the daytime running lights are working; if they are not part of the equipment, turn on the low beam headlights and continue driving.
Thus, the correct answer is "Daytime running lights, and if they are not present in the vehicle's design – low beam headlights," because according to clause 9.8 of the Traffic Rules, when driving outside populated areas during the day, it is mandatory to mark a motor vehicle with daytime running lights, and if they are not structurally present — use low beam headlights.