The Purpose and Maintenance of Vehicle Lighting
The lighting system on a vehicle serves two fundamental purposes: to allow the driver to see the road and its surroundings, and to ensure the vehicle is seen by other road users. For this reason, it is crucial to check all lights frequently to confirm they are clean, correctly adjusted, and in proper working order. When in doubt about whether lighting is required, it is always safest to switch on the dipped headlights.
General Rules for Using Lights
Vehicle lights are mandatory under several conditions, both day and night.
When to Use Lights
- Between sunset and sunrise. Even if there is still some daylight after sunset, you must switch on your lights.
- In tunnels, underpasses, and any road section marked with the tunnel sign, regardless of the time of day or ambient light level.
- Whenever atmospheric or environmental conditions significantly reduce visibility, such as in heavy rain, fog, heavy snowfall, or clouds of smoke or dust.
- When driving on special lanes, including reversible lanes, contraflow lanes (and lanes adjacent to them), and when using the hard shoulder as a traffic lane. In these cases, dipped headlights are mandatory even during the day.
Defining an Insufficiently Lit Road
A road is considered 'insufficiently lit' if you cannot read a license plate at a distance of 10 metres, or you cannot see a dark-coloured vehicle at a distance of 50 metres.
Types of Lights and Their Correct Use
Position Lights (Sidelights)
Position lights indicate the vehicle's presence and width. They must always be on whenever any other main driving light (dipped, main, or fog lights) is in use. They are never sufficient for driving on their own. They are used alone only when the vehicle is parked or stopped:
- When immobilised on the hard shoulder of an interurban road at night.
- When parked on the carriageway or hard shoulder of an insufficiently lit through-road at night. The parking light can be used for this purpose.
On a sufficiently lit urban road, no lights are needed for a parked vehicle if it is clearly visible to others.
Dipped Headlights (Low Beams)
These are the most commonly used driving lights. When driving with only dipped headlights, you must adjust your speed so that you can stop your vehicle safely within the distance illuminated by the beams.
Dipped headlights are mandatory in the following situations:
- At night on all roads, both urban and interurban, whether they are sufficiently lit or not.
- At any time of day or night in tunnels, underpasses, and on reversible, contraflow, and additional traffic lanes.
- At any time of day for all motorcycles on any type of road.
- Whenever visibility is significantly reduced by weather conditions (fog, heavy rain, etc.), if the vehicle is not equipped with front fog lights.
Main Beam Headlights (High Beams)
Main beams provide maximum illumination but can easily dazzle other road users.
- Prohibited: High beams are strictly prohibited in built-up areas (urban roads). You must also switch to low beams whenever there is any possibility of dazzling other road users, including pedestrians and drivers you see in your mirrors.
- Mandatory: You must use high beams when driving at over 40 km/h on insufficiently lit interurban roads, provided you are not at risk of dazzling anyone.
- Optional: On insufficiently lit roads, if you are travelling at 40 km/h or less, you may use either high beams (if not dazzling) or low beams.
- Signalling: In built-up areas, brief, alternating flashes of high beams are permitted to warn other users and prevent an accident.
Fog Lights
Fog lights are supplementary lights for use only in specific low-visibility conditions.
- Front Fog Lights: These are not mandatory equipment. They may be used in conditions of dense fog, heavy rain, heavy snowfall, or clouds of smoke/dust. They are also permitted on narrow roads with many curves that are marked with the 'dangerous bends' sign. They must be used with position lights and usually with dipped headlights.
- Rear Fog Light: This is mandatory equipment. Its use is also mandatory, but only in conditions of severely reduced visibility: dense fog, very heavy rain, heavy snowfall, or dense clouds of smoke/dust. It is powerful and can dazzle following drivers, so it must be switched off as soon as conditions improve. It should not be used in light rain or light snow.
Other Important Lights
- Adaptive Lighting: Systems that adjust the headlight beam to follow the curve of the road are permitted on any vehicle.
- Indicators: Must be used to signal any lateral movement, such as changing lanes, turning, or pulling over to stop.
- Brake Lights: The red lights at the rear of a vehicle indicate that it is braking.
- Clearance Lights: These are mandatory for any vehicle wider than 2.10 metres.
Lighting for Special Circumstances
Dealing with Glare
If you are dazzled by the headlights of an oncoming vehicle, you must reduce your speed, look towards the right-hand edge of the road to guide yourself, and stop completely if necessary for safety.
Special and Priority Vehicles
- Priority Vehicles: Emergency vehicles on an official call must use their flashing lights and audible warning signals (sirens) simultaneously.
- Special Vehicles: Vehicles performing work on the road or travelling at 40 km/h or less must use a rotating amber beacon (V-2 light) at all times, day and night, when on public roads.