An approaching driver fails to dim their high beam headlights. Where should you look?
- At the wheels of the approaching vehicle.
- Toward the right side of the road. ✓
- Toward the left side of the road.
- Straight down the middle of the road.
Answer: B. Toward the right side of the road.
When an oncoming driver fails to dim their high beams, look toward the right side of the road, shifting your eyes down to the lower right of your lane.
Why this is the answer
The handbook says to avoid staring into the headlights of approaching vehicles and instead shift your eyes down toward the lower right side of your traffic lane. Looking that way keeps the glare out of the center of your vision while you stay in your lane. Dimming your own lights is a separate rule the handbook ties to being within 500 feet of an approaching vehicle, so the answer here is about where your eyes go when the other driver does not dim.
Why the other answers are wrong
- A. At the wheels of the approaching vehicle. — The handbook points you to the lower right side of your traffic lane, not to the wheels of the oncoming vehicle.
- C. Toward the left side of the road. — Looking toward the left side of the road pulls your eyes back into the oncoming traffic and its glare.
- D. Straight down the middle of the road. — Staring straight down the middle of the road keeps you looking directly at the headlights, which the handbook tells you to avoid.
Remember it
When brights come at you, slide your gaze to the lower right edge of your lane and keep rolling.
Official handbook: Texas Driver Handbook (DL-7), Chapter 8: Speed and Speed Limits , p. 47