When you are driving, there are a variety of dangers you may encounter. Many of those dangers involve the use of your car’s headlights. Every single car is equipped with headlights which can help to light the way in the dark of night. As well, cars typically have “brights” which can be used on particularly dark roads when there is no one around. Headlights also function to let oncoming cars know that you are approaching. Often, drivers detect the brightness of another pair of headlights moving towards them before they actually see a vehicle. On windy roads, these bright lights can function as a reminder that there are other cars approaching.

Yet while headlights have a lot of helpful functions, they can cause danger of they are not used correctly. In the United States, it is illegal to drive a car that does not have functioning headlights. At a DMV appointment, the tester will most likely ask the man or woman taking the test to turn on and off the headlights to make sure that they understand how to do this. Many headlights come on automatically when the car senses that it is dark outside, but on other cars they must be turned on manually.

When the sun has set, drivers are required to turn on their lights. If a police officer discovers a driver without his or her lights on, then the police office has the right to pull that person over and confront them on the lack of lights. This is because driving without lights on dark nights can make cars virtually invisible. This means that pedestrians may cross a street unaware that a car is speeding towards them, or a driver that tries to pass on a two-lane road may not know that there is a car close up ahead and get in a head-on collision.

One police officer comments that it is wise to just keep headlights on at all times, even during the day. That way, a driver will never forget to turn the lights on when the sun sets. The law says that every vehicle on a highway is required to display a lighted headlamp, a lighted tail lamp, and an illuminating device such as a blinker between sunset and sunrise. Drivers are also required to keep their headlights on when it is snowing, sleeting, hailing or raining. When the weather impairs visibility or another reason, such as in the event of a dense fog, drivers are also required to turn on their headlights. When the air is dense with smoke or there is another condition which makes it difficult to see at least 500 feet ahead, headlights are required.

While headlights are always required in cars in low visibility times, many people fail to turn on their headlights when they need to, and this facilitates a lot of accidents. Just as frequents are accidents which occur because a driver turns his “brights” on while on a highway with an abundance of other drivers. These particularly bright lights can be almost blinding and may cause a driver to swerve or shut his or her eyes, resulting in an accident.

If you were involved in an accident that could have been prevented if another driver had been working his or her headlights properly, then you need to contact a car accident attorney to start litigation. You can also contact an attorney if your car’s headlights stopped working while out on the road because of a product defect and if this was the cause of an accident. With the help of an aggressive litigator, you can be sure that you are getting the representation you need on your case. Talk to an attorney today if you need more information or want to explore your options regarding litigation in this circumstance.