At night there are two risks: you cannot see the road, or others cannot see you. Article 73 deals with both, and reminds you that flashing or sounding the horn never relieves you of the duty to slow down and avoid a crash (Art. 73.II).
Hours of darknessDefinition
The time from sunset to sunrise (Art. 1, item 48).
Poor visibilityDefinition
When fog, rain, snow or other conditions, or twilight, let you see less than 300 m of road (Art. 1, item 42).
In the dark, in poor visibility and in tunnels
- A moving vehicle shows dipped or main-beam headlights and rear position lights; a bicycle or small electric vehicle — a headlamp or lamp (Art. 73.III.1).
- A trailer or towed vehicle shows position lights (Art. 73.III.2).
- This rule applies in tunnels in daylight too (Art. 73.III). In a tunnel overtaking (Art. 51.V.6), U-turns (Art. 42.XII.2) and stopping (Art. 52.IV.2) are prohibited; signs 5.49.1–5.49.3 show the way to the emergency exits (Art. 66.V).
When to dip the main beam
- in a built-up area when the road is well lit, and out of town when street lighting along the road lets you see far enough;
- at least 150 m before an oncoming vehicle;
- in any other case where it could dazzle other road users (Art. 73.IV.1–3).
Dipped headlights in daylight
In daylight dipped headlights must be on in these vehicles (Art. 73.V): motorcycles and mopeds; buses and minibuses carrying groups of children; vehicles in an organised convoy; vehicles towing another vehicle; vehicles carrying dangerous, heavy or oversized loads; public transport driving against the flow in a dedicated lane. There is also an additional plate 7.19 «Drive with dipped headlights» — see the lesson on additional plates.
Fog lights
| Light | When |
|---|---|
| Front fog lights | in poor visibility — alone or with dipped/main beam; in the dark on unlit roads — together with dipped/main beam; instead of dipped beam in the cases of 73.V (Art. 73.V-I) |
| Rear fog lamp | only in poor visibility; it must not be wired to the brake lights (Art. 73.IX) |
| Spotlight and searchlight | only out of town and with no oncoming traffic (Art. 73.VIII) |
When stopped or parked: in the dark on an unlit stretch and in poor visibility, position or parking lights must be on. If they are broken, move the car off the road or, if that is impossible, mark it with the warning triangle (Art. 73.VI).
The horn
The horn may be used in only two cases: out of town, where it is necessary to warn of your intention to overtake, and to prevent a crash (Art. 73.XI). Instead of the horn, or with it, you may give a light signal before overtaking: by day by briefly switching the headlights on and off, at night by switching from dipped to main beam several times (Art. 73.XII). Sign 3.26 bans the horn.
Special signals
For a vehicle approaching with a flashing red or blue light and a siren: switch on the right indicator, clear the lane or keep as close to the edge as possible, and stop if necessary (Art. 74.III, 48.II). An orange or yellow flashing light gives no priority; it only warns of danger (Art. 74.V).
At night, out of town
Problem
Leyla is driving on main beam on an unlit intercity road. A car appears ahead in the other direction, about 400 m away. When must she dip?
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Solution
If the other driver does not dip and Leyla is dazzled, she must switch on the hazard lights and stop without changing lane (Art. 73.IV.3).
The horn in town
Problem
In Baku the light turns green but the car in front of Elvin does not move. Elvin wants to sound the horn. Is that allowed?
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Solution
In a built-up area the horn may be used only to prevent a crash; warning of overtaking is allowed only out of town (Art. 73.XI). Hurrying someone is neither.
A motorcycle by day
Problem
Murad rides his motorcycle in town on a sunny day. Must his headlight be on?
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Solution
Motorcycles and mopeds must show dipped headlights in daylight too (Art. 73.V.1); front fog lights may be used instead (Art. 73.V-I.3).
Remember
- In the dark, in poor visibility (under 300 m) and in tunnels: dipped or main beam plus rear position lights (Art. 73.III).
- Dip the main beam at least 150 m before an oncoming vehicle; if dazzled, hazard lights on and stop without changing lane (Art. 73.IV).
- Dipped beam by day: motorcycles, mopeds, buses with children, convoys, towing vehicles, dangerous or oversized loads (Art. 73.V).
- Rear fog lamp only in poor visibility (Art. 73.IX).
- The horn only to warn of overtaking out of town and to prevent a crash (Art. 73.XI).