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General Knowledge · Night Driving and Driver Fatigue

When facing bright headlights from an oncoming vehicle at night, what should a driver do?

1.Flash your own high beams back repeatedly and continuously until the other driver finally dims their lights
2.Close one eye completely until the oncoming vehicle has fully passed, to help protect your night vision
3.Speed up noticeably to get past the source of the glare as quickly as you possibly can manage
4.Look toward the right edge of the lane instead of at the oncoming lights, and slow downCorrect answer

Explanation

A driver blinded by oncoming headlights should look toward the right edge of the lane or a right-side lane marking rather than at the lights themselves, and slow down until normal vision returns. Recovering from glare can take several seconds, during which a vehicle keeps moving, so looking away from the light source and reducing speed keeps the vehicle under control until the driver can see clearly again. Night driving factors affecting vision, including glare from other vehicles, are a required CDL knowledge topic under 49 CFR 383.111(a)(11)(i), but the regulation only names glare as a topic a test must cover; it does not itself prescribe this specific technique, which is standard driver-safety guidance. The other options fail for a shared reason: retaliating with high beams, closing an eye, or speeding up either worsens the hazard for other drivers or does nothing to actually restore the driver's own vision.

Source: 49 CFR 383.111(a)(11)(i)

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