High Beam Etiquette?

[Remoulay]

Made my longest nighttime journey last night (SW London to Northampton) and it might sound silly but I've never even touched my high beam before, never had a need to.

Then I went on these really dark A roads, often the only vehicle on the road, and was like I'm gonna die shine a light!!!!

Obviously I used my common sense to, whenever possible, turn my high beam off when there was an oncoming vehicle (is everyone 'supposed' to do this?) But what about bigger, better lit dual carriageways- some cars had them on, some not?

But that is the general rule: don't blind others, make sure you can see where you're going?
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[Andy_Pagin]

Don't dazzle oncoming vehicles is basically the rule.
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[bamt]

This ^^^^
If you can't see well enough without high beam and need to turn it off, then slow down. If you dazzle oncoming vehicles you risk them causing an accident that might involve you.

On a dual carriageway, if it is very wide and you are on far apart (both in lane 1 with a large central reservation) there /might/ not be a problem, depends upon the road. If there is a right hand bend for you, it's /probably/ OK because your lights will be pointing away from the oncoming driver. A left hand bend for you would shine your lights straight in their face so definitely dip. But generally just dip them.

[ScaredyCat]

If it's a better lit carriageway, why do you need full beam?

Don't blind other drivers / riders.

If your light is that bad, change the bulb or get some auxiliary lighting.
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[Rogerborg]

[bamt]

There's a difference between "better lit" (which may just mean not absolutely pitch black) and "well lit".

When my son was learning to drive, I'd thought nothing of it but after going out several times with me then a few driving lessons over a few weeks he commented that he'd driven in daylight for the first time that day and found it amazing how much he could see!

DRLs are awful things. I'm sure the majority of drivers using them think that they actually have dipped beam on, and don't realise that they are completely dark at the back.

[ScaredyCat]

[.Chris.]

[MCN]

Fog and Hazard lights. Don't start me on that. Rule 114

High beam:
When noting in front bang them on.
If you are negotiating a Right Hand Bend with traffic coming from the opposite direction then you can keep the High Beams fully engaged.
As the light energy only moves in a straight line, the lights will point to the 'out side' of the bend and not towards the other chaps.

On a left hand bend the inverse it true. The lights will point directly at the chaps coming from the other direction.

It will be reversed au Francis/De Espanya etc.
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Disclaimer: The comments above may be predicted text and not necessarily the opinion of MCN.

[MarJay]

non residential area, no oncoming traffic = use high beam.

Otherwise never use high beam. It's not really a difficult concept, and I had to learn from my father rather than from a driving instructor. By and large most cars and bikes do this, but the main issue is not with this, but with poorly adjusted dipped beams, people using foglights when they shouldn't and people with dead bulbs.

The worst is the car with the combination of the three where their left bulb is out so they put foglights on to compensate and their right dipped beam is pointing directly in your face. This is more common than you might realise, basically because there are more morons out there than you might realise.
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[Nobby the Bastard]

If the car coming towards you has one headlight out (as about 1 in 10 seem to these days) it's good etiquette to turn on your main beam so that they have some extra light to see with.
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[talkToTheHat]

South Yorkshire etiquette is to have one functional headlight that is either main or set high, one functional brake light, and luxuary vehicles have a single foglight or DRL.
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[M.C]

Etiquette probably depends on where you're. In London you get some bikers who have full beams on all the time (even during the day), cars with full beams on at night even though you don't need them.

TBH even dipped beams can be annoying, they can still dazzle other people when going over road bumps, over crests etc.

[Pete.]

[MCN]

[Dave_R]

Don't just turn off the high beam when there's oncoming traffic but any time when there's another road user in front, be it a vehicle travelling in the same direction, waiting at a junction or a pedestrian walking along the road.

Basically, if anyone is blinded by your head light on high beam, you're doing it wrong.

[sepher]

I have 03 GSXR 600 and I dont find the normal light very bright so I'm always on full beam. Full beam is nowhere near as bright as my cars full beam.

Full beam during the day too, like to let people know I'm there

[Nobby the Bastard]

[MCN]

[Raffles]

[Northern Monkey]

I leave mine on ALL the time. Haters going to hate but zero shits given.
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[bamt]

For those who ride on full beam all the time - how do you feel when a car approaches you on a dark road on full beam? Are you pleased that you can see them?

[andyscooter]

the only time I use full beam is to see if it works for the MOT

I live in the country and a village with very few streetlights but still only use the headlight
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[techathy]

Don’t use main beam during the day, good way to have your speed/position miss-judged.

At night you should use you main beam unless there are lit street lamps, you can see a pedestrian or you can see the lights directly of another vehicle.

If you are aware of another vehicle approaching round a blind corner it’s best to dip your headlights just before they are directly visible to you, I’d also prepare for the vehicle to come into view with main beams on.

[Rogerborg]