Headlights, turn signals and night driving

Key points

1. Headlights must be on from 1/2 hour after sunset to 1/2 hour before sunrise.

   Source: Handbook p. 53

   “Headlights must be illuminated during the period from one-half (1/2) hour after sunset to one-half (1/2) hour before sunrise.”
   Kentucky Driver Manual, Handbook p. 53

2. Turn on your headlights whenever you have trouble seeing other vehicles.

   Source: Handbook p. 53

   “Turn your headlights on whenever you have trouble seeing other vehicles. If you have trouble seeing them, chances are they are having trouble seeing you.”
   Kentucky Driver Manual, Handbook p. 53

3. Signal 100 feet before turning at an intersection.

   Source: Handbook p. 42

   “If you plan to turn at an intersection, signal 100 feet before the turn.”
   Kentucky Driver Manual, Handbook p. 42

4. Your vehicle must have mechanical turn signals. Hand signals cannot be used.

   Source: Handbook p. 53

   “Your vehicle must have mechanical signals. Hand signals cannot be used.”
   Kentucky Driver Manual, Handbook p. 53

5. Signal every time you change direction, even if you see no one. The vehicle you do not see is the most dangerous.

   Source: Handbook p. 53

   “Signal every time you change direction, even when you do not see anyone else around. The vehicle you do not see is the most dangerous.”
   Kentucky Driver Manual, Handbook p. 53

6. Do not use your horn near blind pedestrians.

   Source: Handbook p. 53

   “You should not use your horn when near blind pedestrians.”
   Kentucky Driver Manual, Handbook p. 53

7. Use high beams when no vehicles are coming. They let you see twice as far as low beams.

   Source: Handbook p. 67

   “Use your high beams whenever there are no oncoming vehicles. High beams let you see twice as far as low beams.”
   Kentucky Driver Manual, Handbook p. 67

8. Dim your lights within 500 feet of oncoming vehicles and 300 feet of a vehicle you are following.

   Source: Handbook p. 67

   “Dim your lights whenever you come within 500 feet of oncoming vehicles, and within 300 feet of any vehicle you are following.”
   Kentucky Driver Manual, Handbook p. 67

9. At night add at least one second to your following distance, and two seconds on unfamiliar roads.

   Source: Handbook p. 67

   “Increase your following distance by adding at least one additional second for night driving conditions and at least two additional seconds for driving on unfamiliar roadways at night.”
   Kentucky Driver Manual, Handbook p. 67

10. Do not wear sunglasses or tinted lenses at night or on overcast days.

    Source: Handbook p. 67

    “Do not wear sunglasses or colored lenses when driving at night or on overcast days. Tinted or colored lenses reduce your vision.”
    Kentucky Driver Manual, Handbook p. 67

Numbers to know

3 questions from the Kentucky practice test

1. 1. During what period must Kentucky drivers illuminate their vehicle headlights?

   1. Only when the driver is traveling on an interstate
   2. Only from sunset until midnight
   3. From one hour before sunset until one hour after sunrise
   4. From one-half hour after sunset to one-half hour before sunrise
   Show answer

   From one-half hour after sunset to one-half hour before sunrise. Kentucky requires headlights from thirty minutes after sunset until thirty minutes before sunrise. That period is broader than the midnight-only option and starts later than one hour before sunset. The rule applies to roadway travel generally, not just interstate driving. Headlights also help others see your vehicle in rain, snow, fog, darkness, or glare, so using them outside the required window can still be prudent. Think of the half-hour boundaries as the legal timing cue.

2. 2. At what distances should a driver dim headlights for oncoming traffic and a vehicle being followed?

   1. Within 300 feet of oncoming traffic and 500 feet of a vehicle being followed
   2. Within 500 feet of oncoming traffic and 300 feet of a vehicle being followed
   3. Within 100 feet of either vehicle
   4. Only when the other driver flashes headlights first
   Show answer

   Within 500 feet of oncoming traffic and 300 feet of a vehicle being followed. The manual gives two separate nighttime distances: dim for an oncoming vehicle within 500 feet, and dim within 300 feet of a vehicle ahead that you are following. The choice “Within 300 feet of oncoming traffic and 500 feet of a vehicle being followed” swaps those measurements, which would delay the change for approaching traffic. One hundred feet is not the stated rule, and waiting for another driver to signal first risks glare. Watch both directions and change to low beams early enough to protect other drivers' vision.

3. 3. How far before an intersection turn should a driver signal?

   1. 25 feet
   2. 100 feet
   3. Only after entering the intersection
   4. Only when another vehicle is directly behind
   Show answer

   100 feet. Kentucky's turning guidance calls for a signal 100 feet before an intersection turn. That advance notice gives pedestrians and other drivers time to understand the intended movement and adjust. Waiting until the intersection is reached gives too little warning. The manual does not set the distance at 25 feet, and the duty is not limited to situations where a vehicle happens to be behind you. Signal early, maintain the signal through the maneuver, and cancel it afterward.

Source: the Kentucky Driver Manual, Sections Eight and Eleven: Communicating and Night Driving. 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.