What is the (b)right etiquette for using your brights?

My truck driver dad taught me to turn off the brights when approaching headlights or tail lights (when coming up behind) on a straight road and they remain visible for longer than 15 seconds.

He also taught me that semi drivers appreciate when they pass a car on the left, if you give a quick flash to let them know they’ve cleared you.

If you’re getting flashed when the brights are off, that probably means that other drivers find your regular headlights to be bright and are mistakenly thinking you have them on. I had that problem with my ‘73 bug, for some reason the regular headlights were bright or angled at such a way that it hit people’s eyes or something. People would flash their lights at me all the time and my brights weren’t on, nothing was wrong with my car or my driving, etc.

I can’t remember the exact law, but I believe you’re allowed to use them if you are a certain distance away from another car. I’m a conscientious person, though, so I turn them off if there is another car approaching from the opposite way, and when I get within a half mile or so of another car going my direction, just to be polite.

You have to check your local laws. It’s different everywhere.

Also, some people “flash” to let the other drivers know there’s a cop up ahead.

The above answers all have some wisdom in them. If you need them on, it’s fine as long as you aren’t bothering anyone – ahead of you or coming towards you.

If you’ve got someone’s brights in your eyes while driving, glance to the line on the right side of the road until he passes you.

If drivers are flashing you when the brights are off then it could be that (1) your lights are unusually bright; (2) your low-beams are not properly aimed / aligned and shining too high; (3) you are carrying a lot of weight in the trunk or back seat, causing the front of your vehicle to pitch upward; (4) you’re cresting a hill causing a temporary upward angle to your low-beams & the other driver doesn’t realize it; or (5) the other driver is an impolite, ignorant nincompoop.

You could flash your high-beams quickly on & off to indicate that you indeed are using your low-beams, causing the other driver some mixture of confusion, consternation, and embarrassment. Five seconds later it’s all forgotten anyway.

As for idiots blinding you from behind, here’s one technique that has worked: I used to carry a flashlight with me. To signal the driver behind me, I pointed the beam into my rearview mirror directly at the driver’s head. Perhaps he got the message; perhaps he thought I was a cop. Either way, it worked & he dimmed his lights.

I’m going to have to disagree or expound upon the well-intentioned @gasman ‘s comments:

You could flash your high-beams quickly on & off to indicate that you indeed are using your low-beams, yes – but get them fixed causing the other driver some mixture of confusion, consternation, and embarrassment. Five seconds later it’s all forgotten anyway. Really?

As for idiots blinding you from behind, here’s one technique that has worked: I used to carry a flashlight with me. To signal the driver behind me, I pointed the beam into my rearview mirror directly at the driver’s head. Perhaps he got the message; perhaps he thought I was a cop. Either way, it worked & he dimmed his lights. Most newer mirrors have the option of changing the angle for this purpose. If you have an older mirror, and you’re being blinded – slow down and let the jerk pass you. Don’t fiddle around with flashlights while driving in the dark – and don’t blind yourself and him by doing that “trick.”

@zen_ Well, it’s usually quickly forgotten, unless you’re in a horror movie where the driver of the passing car is a psychopath overcome with road rage, makes a sudden U-turn in hot pursuit & tries to force you off the road…

As for the flashlight trick: Your point about safety is well taken. This was years ago when I was a college student—youthful indiscretion, etc. Still, even with dimmable rear-view mirrors, the glare of bright headlights behind you can be quite distracting on a dark road. And—hey—it worked!

@gasman I’m bored, so to continue this philosophical debate, you wrote: unless you’re in a horror movie where the driver of the passing car is a psychopath overcome with road rage, makes a sudden U-turn in hot pursuit & tries to force you off the road…

I mean, come on. You’ve never seen road rage except in horror movies? I’ll have what he’s having.