In this situation, are you obliged to change high-beam lights to low-beam lights?
Show the correct answer
Correct answer
YES
Explanation
In the video, you are driving at night on an unlit road outside a town; a car overtakes you on the left and moves into your lane just in front of you. In this situation, you are obliged to switch from main beam (high beam) to dipped headlights. The answer is: yes.
The Road Traffic Act requires a driver who is using main beam to switch to dipped headlights when approaching the vehicle in front, if its driver may be dazzled. It does not matter that the other driver overtook you - from the moment that car is in front of you, your main beam dazzles its driver through the mirrors. You switch to dipped headlights at once, and you return to main beam only when that car has moved away; at the same time, you increase your following distance, because after overtaking that driver may slow down suddenly.
Legal basis: Art. 51 para. 3 point 2 of the Road Traffic Act (Prawo o ruchu drogowym)