ORLANDO, Fla. – In this week's "Ask Trooper Steve," News 6's traffic safety expert discusses the legal use of high beam lights on vehicles.
Janet, of Orlando, asked "When are your high beam lights supposed to be turned off and on when interacting with other traffic?"
Trooper Steve said he enjoyed answering Janet's question because he doesn't think there is a driver out there who hasn’t been blinded by another driver who didn’t turn off their high beams when approaching.
"The official word is, 'When approaching another vehicle who is approaching you, you are suppose to transfer from high beam lights to your low beam lights,'" traffic safety expert Steven Montiero said. "When you are within 500 feet and when approaching a vehicle from the rear, the magic number is 300 feet."
[MORE: When are you permitted to use your hazard lights while driving? | Ask Trooper Steve: When should I have my headlights on?]
The law doesn’t prohibit drivers from shutting the lights down sooner, though.
"If you can see another car in front of you and your high beams lights are on, well then they can see them also," Montiero said.
Trooper Steve said it is best practice to use common courtesy as the deciding factor of whether drivers should have their high beams activated.