Night and winter driving

Key points

1. About half of fatal crashes in Alabama happen during darkness.

   Source: Handbook p. 69

   “Approximately half the fatal motor vehicle crashes in Alabama occur during the hours of darkness.”
   Alabama Driver Manual, Handbook p. 69

2. High beams normally light the road about 350 feet under normal conditions.

   Source: Handbook p. 69

   “Headlights on high beam normally illuminate the roadway about 350 feet UNDER NORMAL CONDITIONS.”
   Alabama Driver Manual, Handbook p. 69

3. Dim your headlights within 500 feet of an oncoming vehicle and within 200 feet when following.

   Source: Handbook p. 69

   “You must dim your headlights when within 500 feet of an oncoming vehicle and within 200 feet when following another vehicle.”
   Alabama Driver Manual, Handbook p. 69

4. Headlights are required from a half hour after sunset to a half hour before sunrise.

   Source: Handbook p. 69

   “headlights (not parking lights only) must be turned on from a half-hour after sunset to a half-hour before sunrise”
   Alabama Driver Manual, Handbook p. 69

5. At night, watch carefully for signs, pedestrians, bicycles, slow vehicles and animals.

   Source: Handbook p. 69

   “Watch carefully for highway signs, pedestrians, bicycles, slow-moving vehicles and animals on the road.”
   Alabama Driver Manual, Handbook p. 69

6. Snow treads on drive wheels help, but you must still drive below normal speed on snow.

   Source: Handbook p. 71

   “Don't be over-confident because you have them on. You still must drive at less than normal speed on snow and allow more room for stopping.”
   Alabama Driver Manual, Handbook p. 71

7. Alabama law requires headlights when wipers are in use because of rain, sleet or snow.

   Source: Handbook p. 71

   “Alabama law requires that headlights be turned on when the windshield wipers of the vehicle are in use because of rain, sleet, or snow.”
   Alabama Driver Manual, Handbook p. 71

8. On snow or ice, stopping takes three to twelve times as far as on dry pavement.

   Source: Handbook p. 71

   “Remember that on snow or ice it takes three to twelve times as much distance to stop your car as on dry pavement.”
   Alabama Driver Manual, Handbook p. 71

Numbers to know

3 questions from the Alabama practice test

1. 1. How far do high beam headlights normally illuminate the road, according to the Alabama manual?

   1. About 100 feet
   2. About 1,000 feet
   3. About one mile
   4. About 350 feet under normal conditions
   Show answer

   About 350 feet under normal conditions. Headlights on high beam normally illuminate the roadway about 350 feet under normal conditions, and you should never drive so fast that you cannot stop within the distance you can see ahead with your lights. Dimming when meeting or following is required by law; dim within 500 feet of an oncoming vehicle and when following closely. Inspection requires high beams to reach 350 feet.

2. 2. How far from a vehicle you are following must you dim your high beams?

   1. Within 100 feet
   2. Within 500 feet
   3. Within 300 feet
   4. Within 200 feet
   Show answer

   Within 200 feet. Alabama requires low beams when following another vehicle within 200 feet. The separate 500-foot distance applies to an oncoming vehicle, so swapping those figures is the tempting mistake. A 100-foot or 300-foot threshold does not match the manual’s rule. Dim before the gap closes to 200 feet so the vehicle ahead is not exposed to glare in its mirrors. Keep the two distances paired in memory: 500 feet for meeting oncoming traffic, 200 feet for following traffic.

3. 3. At night, what should a driver watch carefully for?

   1. Nothing if the road is dry
   2. Only vehicles traveling in the same lane
   3. Only signs with flashing lights
   4. Highway signs, pedestrians, bicycles, slow-moving vehicles, and animals on the road
   Show answer

   Highway signs, pedestrians, bicycles, slow-moving vehicles, and animals on the road. The manual warns that night visibility is reduced and lists several roadway users and objects that deserve careful attention: highway signs, pedestrians, bicycles, slow-moving vehicles, and animals on the road. The list is broader than vehicles in the same lane or signs with flashing lights, and dry pavement does not remove the visibility problem. Use the entire list as a night driving scan. Reduce speed when visibility is limited and keep looking beyond the area immediately illuminated by the headlights.

Source: the Alabama Driver Manual, Chapter 7: Adjust to Driving Conditions. This lesson is a plain English summary, not the law itself; where it differs, the manual and the statute govern. Last checked 2026-09-27.