When driving at night on a dimly lit street, you should:
- Drive slowly enough that you can stop within the area illuminated by your headlights. ✓
- Turn on your high beam headlights to better see the vehicles ahead of you.
- Keep the instrument panel lights bright to be more visible to other drivers.
Answer: A. Drive slowly enough that you can stop within the area illuminated by your headlights.
When driving at night on a dimly lit street, drive slowly enough that you can stop within the area lit by your headlights.
Why this is the answer
The manual explains that at night you see less far ahead and to the side, so you should drive slower than in daylight. It says your headlights reach about 350 feet ahead and that you should pick a speed that lets you stop safely within that distance, calling this driving within the range of your headlights. Slowing down so your stopping distance fits the lit area is exactly what this means.
Why the other answers are wrong
- B. Turn on your high beam headlights to better see the vehicles ahead of you. — High beams are not the fix here; the manual's point is to match your speed to how far your headlights reach, and it does not tell you to switch to high beams on a dimly lit street.
- C. Keep the instrument panel lights bright to be more visible to other drivers. — Bright instrument panel lights are not mentioned as a way to see better or be seen; the manual's advice is about slowing to fit the lit distance ahead.
Remember it
Think of your headlights as a bubble of light: pick a speed you can stop inside that bubble.