When driving at night, you should do which of the following?
- Make sure you can stop within the distance you can see. ✓
- Flash your headlights at approaching drivers who forget to switch from high beam to low beam.
- On well-lit roads, you can use your parking lights instead of your headlights.
- Travel at the posted speed limit.
Answer: A. Make sure you can stop within the distance you can see.
You should make sure you can stop within the distance you can see.
Why this is the answer
The truck handbook describes overdriving your headlights as a situation where your stopping distance is longer than the distance your headlights let you see. It says that is dangerous because you may not have enough room to stop safely. The rain section gives the same practical rule: drive slowly enough to stop within the distance you can see. At night, that means keeping your speed matched to visibility rather than assuming the posted limit is safe.
Why the other answers are wrong
- B. Flash your headlights at approaching drivers who forget to switch from high beam to low beam. — The handbook tells you to use low beams near oncoming vehicles and on curves or hilltops, but it does not advise flashing your headlights at drivers who forget to dim theirs.
- C. On well-lit roads, you can use your parking lights instead of your headlights. — The handbook says to turn on your headlights when glare is an issue; it does not say parking lights can replace headlights on well-lit roads.
- D. Travel at the posted speed limit. — The posted speed limit is not the rule for night visibility; the handbook says your stopping distance must stay within what you can see, so the limit may still be too fast.
Remember it
Think see-stop match: your stopping distance should never be longer than your seeing distance.