High beam in the city at night. How to use car lights correctly

A modern car is hung with external lighting devices, like a Christmas tree with toys. And all this must be used skillfully. Those who think that this or that should be included are mistaken. lighting devices or not to turn it on, it’s all at the driver’s discretion. The nineteenth section of the Rules strictly regulates when and what needs to be included. To understand all this, let's simulate a real trip.

So, we start moving during the day in clear weather.

Rules. Section 19. Clause 19.5. During daylight hours on all moving Vehicle ah for the purpose of their designation should be includedlow beam or daytime running lights running lights.

The rules divide the day into the following parts:

– Daylight hours.

- Evening twilight.

- Night time.

- Morning twilight.

Driving during daylight hours with a transparent atmosphere is the most comfortable and safest. However, even during daylight hours, drivers, for various reasons, may not see each other, and an accident occurs, as they say, “in broad daylight.”

In order to ensure b O greater safety The rules oblige all drivers to mark their vehicle while driving ( not only at night, but also during the day!). At the same time, during the day, that is, during daylight hours, to identify their vehicle, drivers are required to turn on either low beam headlights or daytime running lights (if any).

Daytime running lights are a new product that is gaining popularity Lately increasingly popular, because they have noticeable advantages:

- Better recognized.

– Automatically turn on when the engine starts and turn off when the engine is turned off.

– They are characterized by efficiency, high reliability and durability.

– Extends the life of a conventional lighting system.

The rules identified daytime running lights as a separate term and gave them the following definition:

Rules. Section 1. “Daytime running lights” are external lighting devices designed to improve the visibility of a moving vehicle. frontduring daylight hours.

Please note - daytime running lights indicate the vehicle only from the front!

And during daylight hours this is absolutely correct.

During the day, you can clearly see the vehicle ahead (without any additional lighting). And at the same time, you can easily, without particularly straining, continuously monitor events behind you, thanks to the fact that the car driving behind has its daytime running lights on.

Or due to the fact that the person driving behind has low-beam headlights on.

Or due to the fact that the person driving behind has his fog lights on.

Students. Excuse me, what do fog lights have to do with it? There are no fog lights in paragraph 19.5! Paragraph 19.5 refers only to low beam headlights and daytime running lights.

Teacher. Yes, you are absolutly right. Paragraph 19.5 really says nothing about fog lights. But they are mentioned in paragraph 19.4.

instead of low beam headlights in accordance with clause 19.5 of the Rules.

To summarize:

During daylight hours on all moving vehicles, for the purpose of their identification, the following must be turned on:

– either low beam headlights;

– either daytime running lights;

– or fog lights.

Have you forgotten yet? We move during the day in clear weather. But there's a tunnel ahead!

In tunnels on a moving vehicle Low or high beam headlights must be on.

It doesn’t matter at all whether the tunnel is short or long, whether there is artificial lighting there or not.

In all cases, when moving in a tunnel, drivers are required to turn onheadlights low or high beam.

And this is correct - in any tunnel there is always not enough lighting. And then, artificial lighting is not the sun and can go out at any moment. And then daytime running lights or fog lights are of little help to you. Here you will need headlights (low or high beam).

There is such a problem in Tickets, and here you are often mistaken:

We left the tunnel, you can continue driving with your headlights on low beam,

you can switch to fog lights, you can switch to daytime running lights.

But suddenly the sky became covered with black clouds, everything around became dark, and it began to rain.

Or, let’s put it this way – there are no clouds, it’s just evening, twilight, not yet night, but visibility has become insufficient .

Rules. Section 19. Clause 19.1. In conditions of poor visibility, regardless of the road lighting, the roads on a moving vehicle must be turned on low or high beam headlights .

That is, the Rules do not make any difference between driving in a tunnel and driving in conditions of poor visibility. And, in general, this is correct - in both cases the illumination is insufficient, and the requirement “low or high beam headlights must be turned on” is completely justified.

But, on the other hand, conditions of insufficient visibility are not only a decrease in illumination, such as, for example, at dusk. Conditions of insufficient visibility also mean a temporary deterioration in the transparency of the atmosphere, as, for example, in fog - it’s light, but you can’t see anything! So, maybe it's time to turn on the fog lights and rear fog lights? Let's see what the Rules say about this:

Rules. Section 19. Clause 19.4. Fog lights can be used in conditions of insufficient visibility with nearby or high beam headlights .

Rules. Section 19. Clause 19.7. Rear fog lights can be used only in conditions of poor visibility.

That is, in conditions of insufficient visibility, first of all, you need to turn on the low or high beam headlights! If desired, you can add fog lights to them, and if necessary, you can also turn on the rear fog lights.

Here we will have to make a small digression. My experience working in a driving school tells me that not all students have a clear idea of ​​which lighting devices are located in front, which ones are located in the back, how they work and, in general, how a headlight differs from a flashlight.

The main purpose of headlights is to illuminate the road. And they are, of course, located in front and they white. True, fog lights can also shine with yellow light (it is believed that yellow light penetrates fog better).

The main purpose of the lights is to indicate the vehicle itself. And they are located at the back and are all red. The only exception is the lanterns reverse and license plate lighting - they are white.

In addition, the car (motorcycle) also has side lights. The front side lights are white, the rear side lights are red.

It is extremely important for the driver to know exactly how the operation of headlights and flashlights is coordinated. In particular, you need to understand that you can turn on the side lights without turning on the headlights. But it is impossible to turn on the headlights without turning on the side lights!

That is, when we say that the driver has turned on the side lights, this means that two white lights are on in front, and two red lights on the back (but the headlights are not on).

If we say that the driver has turned on the headlights (no matter what), this means that the headlights are on in front, and two red side lights are on behind.

But let’s return to “our sheep”. So, in conditions of insufficient visibility, the driver is obliged to turn on the low or high beam headlights (and since the headlights are on, it means that the red side lights will be on behind).

But in heavy fog (snowfall, rain), the high beam headlights do not reach the road surface!

This is where it’s time to switch to the low beam and connect the fog lights. A flat and wide beam of light from the fog lights hits under the veil of fog, illuminating not only roadway, but also the side of the road.

Look how clearly the “driving school home” logo has become visible.

Just don’t try to drive with only fog lights. Fog lights illuminate the road 5-10 meters from the car. Driving in conditions of insufficient visibility using only fog lights is dangerous and therefore prohibited by the Rules.

But there is one more problem.

In conditions of insufficient visibility, the rear marker lights already at a distance of 10 meters turn into inconspicuous dots, or even become invisible altogether.

In this case, the rear fog lights will help the driver. They burn incomparably brighter than side lights.

That is why the Rules allow the use of rear fog lightsonly in conditions of poor visibility!

If you turn them on in a clear atmosphere, you will blind drivers behind you.

There is one problem in the Tickets about rear fog lights. It is frankly provocative, and you often make a mistake here:

Twilight smoothly turned into night. It was dark.

But the fog cleared. The atmosphere is absolutely transparent.

Rules. Section 19. Clause 19.1. In the dark On a moving vehicle, low or high beam headlights must be turned on.

I emphasize! – if the Rules say: "In the dark" and they don’t add anything, which means it’s a dark impenetrable night outside, but that’s all. No fog, rain, snowfall, etc.

Since we were already moving with the low beam headlights on at dusk, then with the onset of darkness we didn’t need to do anything. However, two points remained unclear. Firstly, is it legal to use fog lights at night? And secondly, in what cases can high beam headlights be used?

Rules. Section 19. Clause 19.4. Fog lights can be used at night on unlit road sections together with low or high beam.

As we can see, driving at night with only fog lights is strictly prohibited by the Rules (as well as in conditions of insufficient visibility). But you can add fog lights to low or high beam headlights if the road is unlit.

Now let's talk about when you can use high beams and when you can't.

We already know that both low and high beams can be used, firstly, when driving in a tunnel, secondly, when driving during the day in conditions of poor visibility and, thirdly, when driving at night, regardless of what type of light there is. visibility (sufficient or insufficient). All that remains is to understand when to use low beam and when to use high beam.

Rules. Section 19. Clause 19.2. The high beam headlights must be switched to low beam:

– in populated areas, if the road is illuminated;

– when passing oncoming traffic at a distance of at least 150 meters from the vehicle, and also at a greater distance, if the driver of the oncoming vehicle periodically switching the headlights indicates the need for this;

– in any other cases to eliminate the possibility of dazzling drivers of both oncoming and passing vehicles.

Let's look at each of these requirements separately.

1. High beam headlights must be switched to low beam– in populated areas, if the road is illuminated.

Let us leave this requirement of the Rules without comment. Here everything seems to be clear - we drive along city streets at night with low beams (if, of course, they are lit).

But if we get into a place where we can’t see anything, then even in the city we’re allowed to turn on the high beam.

2. when passing oncoming traffic at a distance of no less than 150 meters to the vehicle, and also with more , if the driver of an oncoming vehicle periodically switching the headlights indicates the need for this.

The high beam (if it is correctly adjusted) reaches the road surface at a distance of 90 - 100 meters from the car. The rules have generously established the minimum distance between approaching vehicles - 150 meters. At this point, drivers of both vehicles are required to switch their high beam headlights to low beam so as not to blind each other.

But it may happen that one of the cars’ headlights are not adjusted, and the high beams shine, as they say, “into the sky.” In this case, oncoming drivers from afar will ask (by flashing their headlights) to switch to low beam. And the Rules oblige the driver to do this , even if the distance between approaching vehicles is more than 150 meters.

3. The high beam headlights must be switched to low beam -in any other cases to eliminate the possibility of blinding drivers, like people you meet, and passing vehicles .

High beams can cause problems not only for those driving in the opposite direction, but also for those moving in the same direction ahead. The Rules have not established any minimum distance for this situation, but a competent driver will always switch the headlights to low beam when approaching the vehicle ahead.

By the way! How should a driver behave when dazzled by headlights?

We have already talked about this situation in the seventh topic. Let's repeat it again. Night time.

A road outside a populated area without artificial lighting. A car is driving towards you with its headlights on. Just imagine - you don’t see the road surface, you don’t see the markings, you don’t see the side of the road. This is deadly!

The most correct thing now is to depict a forced stop. That is a sign emergency stop There is no need to set it, just turn on the hazard warning lights and stop smoothly without changing lanes. I assure you, this is the most correct and safe decision. Moreover, the Rules require the same:

Rules. Section 19. Clause 19.2. Last paragraph. If blinded, the driver must turn on the hazard warning lights and, without changing lanes, reduce speed and stop.

And finally, the most difficult driving conditions!

Not only is it night outside, there is also insufficient visibility!

In this case, the Rules did not come up with anything new, because all the capabilities of a modern vehicle have already been exhausted.

That's whyin low visibility conditions The procedure for using external lighting devices is the same at any time of the day. You can turn on the high beams, you can turn on the low beams, you can add fog lights, you can turn on the rear fog lights.

Another thing is that experienced drivers never use high beams when driving in heavy fog, rain or snow. They know very well that in such conditions, high beams are ineffective - they simply do not reach the road surface, and the driver sees nothing except fog, snow or rain.

In such conditions, the most correct thing is low beam plus fog lights. And, of course, the speed must be such that the stopping distance is less than the visibility distance.

A special case is towing!

When towing, two vehicles move as one unit and are close to each other. In this case, they must identify themselves as one whole.

The towing one is in front and has theheadlights, towed - from the rear, and has includedparking lights .

Rules. Section 19. Clause 19.1. In the dark and in conditions of insufficient visibility, regardless of the road lighting, as well as in tunnels, the following lighting devices must be turned on on a moving vehicle:

- on all motor vehicles and mopeds - high or low beam headlights, on bicycles - headlights or lanterns, on horse-drawn carts - lanterns (if equipped);

– on trailersand towed motor vehicles – parking lights.

The rules prohibited the towed person from turning on the headlights even in the dark and even in conditions of poor visibility (only side lights!). And this has its own logic. After all, the towed vehicle will also have its emergency lights on:

Rules. Section 7. Clause 7.1. The hazard warning lights must be switched on when towing (on a towed motor vehicle).

To identify your vehicle, this is quite enough, and it does not need to illuminate anything - the towing vehicle is driving ahead, a maximum of 6 meters.

There is one such problem in Tickets, and this is where you often get it wrong:

All cases when the headlights of a vehicle must be turned on are specified in a special section of the traffic rules. What you need to consider to avoid this controversial issues on road?

High beam on a car

In the dark, low or high beams are required. Without this, a fine cannot be avoided.
We turn on the high beams at night, when there is insufficient visibility and in tunnels. At the same time, the Rules allow the use of low beams in these cases.

We switch far to near in the following cases:

When passing oncoming traffic (150 meters before the oncoming car);

When passing oncoming traffic at a greater distance, if the driver of the oncoming car “blinked” his headlights at you;

In all cases when your distant light can blind oncoming drivers;

In populated areas, if the road is lit.

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You can use your high beams when overtaking. Paragraph 19.11 of the traffic rules allows the driver to “blink” his headlights to warn of overtaking.

Low beam on a car

Many drivers forget to turn on their low beams during the day. Traffic police inspectors, as a rule, limit themselves to verbal comments and remind you of the need to comply with traffic rules.

We turn on low beam headlights, as well as high beams, at night, in tunnels and when visibility is poor. During the day we turn on the low beam or DRL (clause 19.5 of the traffic rules).

In addition, clause 19.3 establishes the possibility of using low beams when stopping and parking at night in unlit areas or in conditions of insufficient visibility. In this case, low beam is used as a complement to side lights.

Fog lights on a car

Fog lights can be used in conditions of poor visibility, as well as at night in unlit areas together with high or low beam headlights. Front fog lights, in addition, can be used independently (instead of low beams or DRLs) when driving during daylight hours (clause 19.4 of the traffic rules).

It is worth noting that traffic regulations allow the use of rear fog lights only in conditions of poor visibility.

Please note that the very term “insufficient visibility” (road visibility less than 300 m in conditions of fog, rain, snowfall, etc., as well as at dusk) only implies a deterioration in visibility due to weather conditions. Neither the winding road, nor the trees growing along the side of the road (limiting visibility and visibility), nor buildings and structures have anything to do with insufficient visibility.

Don't forget that traffic regulations prohibit combining rear fog lights with brake lights.

Controversial issues

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If the car’s headlights are not on at night, then for the traffic police inspector this is a 100% reason to stop you.

Let's look at typical cases when a traffic police inspector accuses a driver of violating the rules for using lighting devices.

The Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation provides for liability for such a violation in the form of a warning or a fine of 500 rubles (Article 12.20).

1. You see a traffic police crew in an ambush and warn other drivers by “blinking” your high beams. Such actions are not prohibited, since there is no direct prohibition on them in the traffic rules.

2. At night, when entering a populated area along a lighted road, you did not switch to the near one. For this, you will be reasonably held accountable, since the need to switch to a nearby vehicle is established by clause 19.2 of the traffic rules. If the road is not lit, you can continue driving with high beams.

3. During daylight hours, to indicate a vehicle on the road, you drive with front fog lights and also drive through a tunnel. As you exit, an inspector stops you. The punishment will be fair. Indeed, according to paragraph 19.4, fog lights can be used instead of low beams, while paragraph 19.1 speaks of the need to turn on high or low beam when driving through a tunnel.

By the way, the same situation occurs when driving with DRLs. When entering a tunnel, you need to turn on the low or high beam. You cannot drive through the tunnel with DRLs.

When entering a tunnel, we always turn on the low or high beam headlights. Neither daytime running lights nor separately lit fog lights will work.

4. If you do not switch from high to low when driving oncoming in the dark, the punishment will be fair. Even if people you meet don’t ask you to do this, clause 19.1 of the traffic rules states the need to switch to the next one at least 150 meters from the oncoming car.

5. During the day in a populated area, you drive with high beam headlights. In this case, there is no violation, since there is only one direct ban on the use of high beams in a populated area - darkness and a lit road.

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6. Driving around the city at night with DRLs will incur a fine. In this case, traffic regulations clearly require that either the low beam (if the road is lit) be turned on, or the high beam if there is no lighting in the populated area.

7. If one headlight on your car does not work (it doesn’t matter whether it’s low beam or high beam), you will be held accountable under another article - Part 1 of Article 12.5 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation (the punishment is the same - a warning or a fine of 500 rubles).

But everyone who does not turn on either the low beam or daytime running lights (DRL) while driving is a violator. The fact is that since the fall of 2010, the Rules require the driver of a moving vehicle to turn on either DRLs, low beams, or fog lights at any time of the day or night. And it doesn’t matter whether you are driving on a city street or on a country road. Violation of this requirement threatens, according to Article 12.20 of the Administrative Code, with a fine of 500 rubles or a warning from a police officer. However, in practice, few drivers pay attention to such a possibility, and most cars drive during the day with their headlights off.

This situation has arisen due to the fact that even if they appear on the road now, they are interested in much more “bread and butter” traffic violations such as drunk driving, speeding over 40 km/h, driving into oncoming traffic, etc. So it is believed that that driving with the headlights not on is not a violation. About the same as talking on the phone while driving and driving beyond the stop line before a traffic light. Although about a year ago, the deputy head of the Moscow data center Dmitry Gorshkov reported that the capital’s cameras automatically record violations for not turning on the lights:

The technology has already been developed, and we plan to launch it in the near future. Fully automatic. We will most likely include this functionality on all cameras in the city,” he said.

However, in the year since then, no one has heard anything more about automatic fines without low beams. Note that if the driver turned on the headlights in good faith, but one of them does not light (a light bulb has failed, for example), he will also be fined. But in a different way article of the Code of Administrative Offenses- 12.5 for “Driving a vehicle in the presence of malfunctions or conditions under which the operation of the vehicle is prohibited.” It also provides for either a 500-ruble fine or a warning.

The fact is that the list of malfunctions of the Basic Provisions for the approval of vehicles for operation, during which the car cannot be driven, contains clause 3.3 “External lighting devices and reflectors do not work in the prescribed mode or are dirty.”

And when talking about car lights, it’s impossible not to at least briefly remind you of the rules for using high-beam headlights. turn it on at night, with insufficient visibility and in tunnels. The driver must switch from high to low when passing oncoming traffic 150 meters before the oncoming car; in all cases where the distant light can blind oncoming drivers and in populated areas if the road is lit. At the same time, paragraph 19.11 of the traffic rules allows the driver to “blink” his headlights to warn of overtaking.

We turn on the high beams at night, when there is insufficient visibility and in tunnels. At the same time, the Rules allow the use of low beams in these cases.

We switch far to near in the following cases:

When passing oncoming traffic (150 meters before the oncoming car);

When passing oncoming traffic at a greater distance, if the driver of the oncoming car “blinked” his headlights at you;

In all cases when your distant driver may be oncoming;

In populated areas, if the road is lit.

You can use your high beams when overtaking. Paragraph 19.11 of the traffic rules allows the driver to “blink” his headlights to warn of overtaking.

Low beam

Controversial issues

Let's look at typical cases when a traffic police inspector accuses a driver of violating the rules for using lighting devices.

The Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation provides for liability for such a violation in the form of a warning or a fine of 500 rubles (Article 12.20).

1. You see a traffic police crew in an ambush and warn other drivers by “blinking” your high beams. Such actions are not prohibited, since there is no direct prohibition on them in the traffic rules.

2. At night, when entering a populated area along a lighted road, you did not switch to the near one. For this, you will be reasonably held accountable, since the need to switch to a nearby vehicle is established by clause 19.2 of the traffic rules. If the road is not lit, you can continue driving with high beams.

3. During daylight hours, to indicate a vehicle on the road, you drive with front fog lights and also drive through a tunnel. As you exit, an inspector stops you. The punishment will be fair. Indeed, according to paragraph 19.4, fog lights can be used instead of low beams, while paragraph 19.1 speaks of the need to turn on high or low beam when driving through a tunnel.

By the way, the same situation occurs when driving with DRLs. When entering a tunnel, you need to turn on the low or high beam. You cannot drive through the tunnel with DRLs.

4. If you do not switch from high to low when driving oncoming in the dark, the punishment will be fair. Even if people you meet don’t ask you to do this, clause 19.1 of the traffic rules states the need to switch to the next one at least 150 meters from the oncoming car.

5. During the day in a populated area, you drive with high beam headlights. In this case, there is no violation, since there is only one direct ban on the use of high beams in a populated area - darkness and a lit road.

6. Driving around the city at night with DRLs will incur a fine. In this case, traffic regulations clearly require that either the low beam (if the road is lit) be turned on, or the high beam if there is no lighting in the populated area.

7. If one headlight on your car does not work (it doesn’t matter whether it’s low beam or high beam), you will be held accountable under another article - Part 1 of Article 12.5 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation (the punishment is the same - a warning or a fine of 500 rubles).

P.S. This, of course, is not all situations that occur on the road. If you have your own options, write in the comments and we’ll discuss.

How to use car lights correctly How to use car lights correctly

IN modern car As many as 8 different lighting devices are installed (there is also a backlight for the rear license plate, but in this case it is not interesting to us). And we need to use these 7 lighting devices: headlights, flashlights, foglights and other things in different ways, depending on as many as 8 conditions. Let's list lighting devices and the conditions for their use for 2019!

So, the car has so-called external lighting devices. These include:

1. headlights: low beam;
2. headlights: high beam;
3. rear lights;
4. fog lights (PTF);
5. rear fog lights;
6. parking lights;
7. daytime running lights (DRLs).

And among the conditions for including certain lighting devices in the traffic rules, there are the following:

1. daylight hours;
2. dark time of day: illuminated road;
3. dark time of day: unlit road;
4. low visibility conditions;
5. standing/moving car;
6. trailer/towed vehicle;
7. populated/non-populated area.

Are you scared? It's actually not all that scary. Let's find out when and in what cases you need to turn on fog lights, high or low beam headlights and dimensions. Data current as of December 25, 2019. For convenience, we will consider the rules for using car lights depending on the time of day and other conditions, and answer some pressing questions. And at the end of the article we will provide a table as a simple way to remember when which lights need to be turned on on the car.

What light should I use during the day?

During the day, namely, during daylight hours, we can use daytime running lights (19.5 traffic rules). But instead of DRLs (not only if they are not installed in the car, but also at the driver’s request), you can use low beam headlights or fog lights (19.4 + 19.5 traffic rules).

During daylight hours (provided that there are no conditions of insufficient visibility), you need to turn on:

• Daytime Running Lights;
• dipped headlights;
• fog lights (but not in combination with low beams or DRLs).

During daylight hours you should not turn on:

• high beam headlights;

What light to use at night?

The dark time of the day in the traffic rules is defined as “the period of time from the end of the evening twilight to the beginning of the morning twilight” (1.2 of the traffic rules). Thus, the dark time of the day includes the entire night, evening from the end of twilight and morning until the beginning of dawn.

At night you need to turn on:

• dipped or high beam headlights while driving (see below under what conditions high beams cannot be used);
• side lights when stopping or parking on the road, as well as on trailers and towed vehicles;
• fog lights - only on unlit sections of roads and only in combination with low or high beam headlights.

Also, in the dark, you can turn on a special spotlight if you have one, provided you are driving outside a populated area and in the absence of oncoming cars.

In the dark it is forbidden to use:

• high beam headlights:
  • in populated areas, if the road is lit,
  • if oncoming traffic is closer than 150 meters to you or even further and at the same time flashes its headlights at you,
  • in any other cases when it is possible to blind drivers (namely drivers, not pedestrians) of oncoming and passing cars;
• fog lights - on illuminated roads or on unlit roads without low or high beam headlights;
• Daytime Running Lights;
• rear fog lights.

What light to use in conditions of poor visibility (in fog)?

The conditions of insufficient visibility are also defined in the Rules, so there is no ambiguity here. These conditions include driver visibility of less than 300 meters in fog, twilight, rain, snow, and the like. In general, if the visibility of the road is approximately less than 300 meters, the only time it is night, then these are conditions of insufficient visibility.

In conditions of insufficient visibility, you need to turn on:

• dipped or high beam headlights when moving (see above in the description of lighting at night, in what conditions you cannot use high beams);
• side lights when stopping and parking - low beam headlights, fog lights or rear fog lights together with side lights can also be turned on in conditions of poor visibility (as opposed to the dark).
• fog lights - only in combination with low or high beam headlights (and on roads of any illumination, as opposed to the dark).
• rear fog lights (this is the only condition in which they can be used).

In conditions of insufficient visibility, you cannot use:

• fog lights without low or high beam headlights;
• daytime running lights.

What light should I use in the tunnel?

Traffic regulations regulate the mandatory inclusion in tunnels (clause 19.1). The rule here is simple: the conditions for using certain lighting devices are the same as in the dark.

When can you use the emergency lights?

Hazard alarms are also considered a lighting device, and traffic regulations clearly regulate the possibility of their use. So, the emergency lights need to be turned on:

• if you get into an accident along with a warning triangle (2.5 traffic rules + 7.1 traffic rules);
• if a situation arises where your car poses a danger;
• when forced to stop in a place where stopping is prohibited (together with an emergency stop sign);
• when towing on a towed vehicle;
• if you are blinded by oncoming traffic.

When can you blink your headlights?

Yes, most often drivers blink their headlights (one or more short-term switches of headlights from low beam or DRL to high beam) when warning oncoming vehicles about traffic police officers. However, traffic rules recommend doing this in completely different cases. Which ones:

• to warn other participants traffic about the beginning of overtaking;
• if you are blinded by an oncoming vehicle.

At the same time, nowhere in the Rules is there a direct prohibition on blinking headlights. However, traffic police officers may regard this as traffic violation, as a result of which you can easily earn a fine of 500 rubles. Think for yourself, when you blink you turn on the high beams, but in most cases it is prohibited to turn them on.

As you can see, everything is very simple! But let's simplify these Rules for the use of lighting devices even further and present everything in a visual tabular form.

Table footnotes:

1. Instead of low beam headlights
2. Only in combination with low or high beam headlights

And, finally, an official excerpt from the current 2019 traffic regulations, Chapter 19 on external lighting devices.

19. Use of external lighting devices and sound signals.

19.1. In the dark and in conditions of insufficient visibility, regardless of the road lighting, as well as in tunnels, the following lighting devices must be turned on on a moving vehicle:

• on all motor vehicles - high or low beam headlights, on bicycles - headlights or lanterns, on horse-drawn carts - lanterns (if equipped);
• on trailers and towed motor vehicles - side lights.

19.2. High beam should be switched to low beam:

• in populated areas, if the road is illuminated;
• when passing oncoming traffic at a distance of at least 150 m from the vehicle, and also at a greater distance, if the driver of the oncoming vehicle periodically switching the headlights indicates the need for this;
• in any other cases to eliminate the possibility of blinding drivers of both oncoming and passing vehicles.

If blinded, the driver must turn on the hazard warning lights and, without changing lanes, reduce speed and stop.

19.3. When stopping and parking in the dark on unlit sections of roads, as well as in conditions of insufficient visibility, the side lights on the vehicle must be turned on. In conditions of poor visibility, low beam headlights, fog lights and rear fog lights can be switched on in addition to the side lights.

19.4. Fog lights can be used:

• in conditions of poor visibility with low or high beam headlights;
• at night on unlit sections of roads in conjunction with low or high beam headlights;
• instead of low beam headlights in accordance with paragraph 19.5 of the Rules.

19.5. During daylight hours, all moving vehicles must have low-beam headlights or daytime running lights on to indicate them.

19.6. The spotlight and searchlight may only be used outside populated areas in the absence of oncoming vehicles. In populated areas, only drivers of vehicles equipped in the prescribed manner with blue flashing lights and special sound signals can use such headlights when performing an urgent official task.

19.7. Rear fog lights can only be used in conditions of poor visibility. Do not connect rear fog lights to brake lights.