Vehicle CodeInstallment 3

The Car (Continued)

Lights

The car has a light device and a signposting device to see and to be seen.

In front, compulsory:

Two Headlamps/headlights - white light up to at least 100 m. Uses: to light dark roads at night.

Two dipped headlights/lowbeams - white light for at least 30 m without dazzling the eyes of oncoming drivers. Uses: to replace the headlights at night when passing or following someone, or when encountering a car coming from the opposite direction, or to use inside city limits or when the road is lit with street lights. You can also use these lights to make yourself visible in bad weather (rain, fog, or snow).

Two sidelights - white light visible at 150 m. Uses: to park on a dark road, or to drive inside city limits with street lights at night.

Two flashing lights/turn lights - orange color. Uses: to inform others of any intended lane change or direction change.

Two front fog lights - white or yellow lights that spread and are turned down to the ground. Uses: to add to the low-beam lights during hard rain, fog, or snow (in these cases, they can be left on when passing another car.) to add to the headlights, particularly on narrow or winding roads out of town (in that case, they must be turned off when passing someone)

Supplementary Headlights - long-range white or yellow. Uses: the same as the headlights.

Lights at the Rear of the Car, Compulsory

Two red lights - visible at 150 m. Uses: to drive on the roadway at night, or if there is bad visibility (such as with bad weather). They turn on at the same time as the sidelights, the headlights, the low-lights or the fog lights.

Two reflectors - red lights visible 100 m away when lit by the headlights of another car.

Two flashing lights - orange color. Uses: to inform others of any intended lane change or direction change. They work with the front flashing lights.

Three stop/brake lights - (only two before 1996) red and more powerful than the other red lights, but without being blinding to others. Uses: to inform the cars behind of any slowing down, tailback, or hold-up. The stop lights turn on as soon as one touches the brake pedal.

One or two back fog lights - red, but more powerful than the red lights (optional for cars put on the market before October 1, 1990). If the car has only one fog light, it must be on the left side. Uses: to be visible in fog or heavy snow.

One or two reversing lights - white lights turned down to the ground. In general, these lights turn on automatically when someone reverses or puts the car in reverse.

Emergency brakes/Distress Signals - both flashing lights turn on and flash together. Uses: to inform/signal breakdown on the roadway (when the car is stopped or moving unusually slowly). To inform others of a sudden slowdown - the cars coming up at the rear of the slowdown use them, but turn them off once there are other cars flashing the warning behind them.

Reminder:

Headlights - light up to 100 m away, at least.

Low beams - light up to 30 m at least, without blinding others.

Sidelights and red lights - visible at 150 m minimum.

Reflectors - visible at 100 m minimum.

License plate lights - visible at 20 m minimum.