Required lights and equipment

Key points

1. Use headlamps from a half hour after sunset to a half hour before sunrise, and whenever weather or dust cuts visibility below 500 feet.

   Source: Handbook p. 14

   “Head lamps are required to be in use at all times from a half hour after sunset to a half hour before sunrise and any other times when, due to weather or blowing dust, visibility is less than 500 feet.”
   Montana Driver Manual, Handbook p. 14

2. Dim your high beams within 1000 feet of an oncoming vehicle and within 500 feet when following one.

   Source: Handbook p. 14

   “High beam must be dimmed when meeting other vehicles at 1000 feet and when overtaking other vehicles at 500 feet.”
   Montana Driver Manual, Handbook p. 14

3. High beams must light people or vehicles 350 feet ahead; low beams, 100 feet.

   Source: Handbook p. 14

   “Headlights should be capable of illuminating persons or vehicles for a distance of 350 feet on high beam and 100 feet on low beam.”
   Montana Driver Manual, Handbook p. 14

4. Headlights and tail lights must be visible for 500 feet.

   Source: Handbook p. 14

   “must emit white or amber light to the front and red or amber light to the rear, visible for 500 feet.”
   Montana Driver Manual, Handbook p. 14

5. Brake lights must be visible for 300 feet in normal sunlight.

   Source: Handbook p. 15

   “must emit a red or amber light visible for 300 feet in normal sunlight.”
   Montana Driver Manual, Handbook p. 15

6. Your mirror must give you 200 feet of view to the rear.

   Source: Handbook p. 15

   “must provide 200 foot visibility to rear of the vehicle.”
   Montana Driver Manual, Handbook p. 15

7. Everyone in the vehicle must wear a properly adjusted and fastened safety belt, and the driver is fined $20 for a violation.

   Source: Handbook p. 19

   “Montana law places responsibility on the driver to ensure each occupant is properly buckled or in a child safety seat. A driver who violates the law will be fined $20.”
   Montana Driver Manual, Handbook p. 19

8. Children up to age 6 and 60 pounds must ride in a child safety seat.

   Source: Handbook p. 20

   “Babies and children up to age 6 and 60 pounds must be buckled in a child safety seat.”
   Montana Driver Manual, Handbook p. 20

9. Check tire tread with a penny: if the tread does not reach Lincoln's head, replace the tire.

   Source: Handbook p. 13

   “If the tread does not come at least to Abraham Lincoln’s head, the tire is unsafe and you need to replace it.”
   Montana Driver Manual, Handbook p. 13

10. A leaky exhaust can kill in a very short time and can make you drowsy. Never run the motor in your garage.

    Source: Handbook p. 13

    “Fumes from a leaky exhaust can cause death in a very short time. It can also make you drowsy while driving. Never run the motor in your garage.”
    Montana Driver Manual, Handbook p. 13

Numbers to know

3 questions from the Montana practice test

1. 1. How far must Montana headlights and taillights be visible on vehicles built after January 1, 1956?

   1. 1,000 feet
   2. 100 feet
   3. 500 feet, with white or amber light to the front and red or amber to the rear
   4. 50 feet
   Show answer

   500 feet, with white or amber light to the front and red or amber to the rear. Vehicles manufactured after January 1, 1956 must emit white or amber light to the front and red or amber light to the rear, visible for 500 feet, and must have two tail lamps except motorcycles, motor driven cycles, quadricycles and truck tractors. The license plate lamp must light the plate for 50 feet, and mirrors must give 200 feet of visibility to the rear.

2. 2. When must Montana drivers dim high beams for oncoming and overtaken vehicles?

   1. Within 200 feet in both cases
   2. Within 1,000 feet when meeting and within 500 feet when overtaking
   3. Within 300 feet when meeting and 100 when following
   4. Only when the other driver flashes
   Show answer

   Within 1,000 feet when meeting and within 500 feet when overtaking. High beams must be dimmed when meeting other vehicles at 1,000 feet and when overtaking or following other vehicles at 500 feet. Reflectors on the vehicle must be visible from 600 to 1,000 feet under high beams. Dimming is both an equipment law and a courtesy, since glare blinds the other driver for several seconds at highway speed, which is a long way at 70 mph.

3. 3. How far to the rear must a Montana vehicle mirror provide visibility?

   1. 200 feet, on vehicles manufactured after January 1, 1956
   2. 50 feet
   3. 1,000 feet
   4. There is no mirror requirement
   Show answer

   200 feet, on vehicles manufactured after January 1, 1956. Vehicles manufactured after January 1, 1956 must provide 200 foot visibility to the rear through their mirrors, must have a safety glass windshield with wipers, and must have front seat belts if built between January 1, 1965 and January 1, 1968. Equipment details and installation requirements are in Montana Code Annotated Title 61, chapter 9, which the examiner may reference during an inspection.

Source: the Montana Driver Manual, Chapter 2: Motor Vehicle Equipment. 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.