Massachusetts Fines and Limits Permit Practice Test

When must you use your headlights while driving at night?

1. From sunset until sunrise

2. From one hour before sunset until one hour after sunrise

3. From one-half hour after sunset until one-half hour before sunrise

4. Only when indicated by road signs

The correct answer is: From one-half hour after sunset until one-half hour before sunrise

The correct answer is that you must use your headlights from one-half hour after sunset until one-half hour before sunrise. This requirement ensures that you have adequate visibility during the darker hours when natural light is limited. Using headlights during this specified time frame is crucial for ensuring not only your safety but also the safety of others on the road. Visibility is significantly reduced during these hours, and headlights help illuminate the road ahead and make your vehicle more visible to other drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists. Other options like using headlights only from sunset until sunrise or one hour before sunset until one hour after sunrise do not account for the essential twilight period when the light may begin to fade or when it has yet to become completely dark. Road signs indicating when to use headlights are not a substitute for the general rule that applies universally during night driving hours. Properly using headlights according to the defined periods enhances road safety, which is the primary purpose of this regulation.