When driving at night, you should follow which of the following rules?
- Wear a tinted face shield.
- Don’t overdrive your headlight. ✓
- Wear dark clothing.
- Do all of the above.
Answer: B. Don’t overdrive your headlight.
Don’t overdrive your headlight: keep your speed so you can stop within the distance your headlight lets you see.
Why this is the answer
The handbook defines overdriving your headlight as riding so fast that you cannot stop within the distance your headlight lets you see. It calls this dangerous because you are not leaving enough room to make a safe stop, and it warns that reflective signs can make you think you see farther than you do. At night your ability to see and be seen is reduced, so the safe rule is to keep your speed within the lit distance ahead.
Why the other answers are wrong
- A. Wear a tinted face shield. — A tinted face shield is not part of the handbook’s night-driving advice, which instead stresses getting as much light as you can and wearing reflective clothing.
- C. Wear dark clothing. — Dark clothing works against the handbook’s advice to wear reflective clothing, such as a reflective vest and helmet, so you can be seen at night.
- D. Do all of the above. — Doing all of the above would include a tinted shield and dark clothing, neither of which the handbook recommends for night riding; it recommends reflective gear instead.
Remember it
If you can’t stop within the lit stretch of road, your speed is ahead of your lights.