Dim your headlights within how many feet of a vehicle you are following?

Dim your headlights within how many feet of a vehicle you are following?

• A. 600 feet
• B. 300 feet
• C. 200 feet
• D. 100 feet

Answer: (B)

Dimming your headlights when you’re close behind another vehicle reduces glare for the driver in front and helps prevent blinding oncoming drivers. In California, the rule is to switch to low beams within 300 feet of the vehicle you are following. This distance balances your need to see the road ahead with the safety of the surrounding drivers by keeping glare off the headlights of the car in front. The other distances aren’t the standard rule—600 feet is too far to reduce glare, and 200 or 100 feet would dim too early or too late in typical nighttime driving. So, 300 feet is the correct practice.

Dimming your headlights when you’re close behind another vehicle reduces glare for the driver in front and helps prevent blinding oncoming drivers. In California, the rule is to switch to low beams within 300 feet of the vehicle you are following. This distance balances your need to see the road ahead with the safety of the surrounding drivers by keeping glare off the headlights of the car in front. The other distances aren’t the standard rule—600 feet is too far to reduce glare, and 200 or 100 feet would dim too early or too late in typical nighttime driving. So, 300 feet is the correct practice.