Free independent learning reference with original examples. These are not official exam questions or individualized legal advice. Follow current signs, provincial rules and on-site directions.
Free night and poor-visibility practice →Match the distance to the other vehicle’s direction
The oncoming case uses 150 metres: dim your headlights before high beams can dazzle an approaching driver within that distance. The following case uses 60 metres: high beams behind another vehicle can affect its driver through mirrors. Learn the direction with the number so the two are not reversed.
These are headlight-use distances, not following-gap targets or parking measurements. A question that mentions a car ahead at 50 metres is asking you to recognize the following case, not decide that 60 metres is the correct spacing for every speed and road surface.
| Other vehicle | Dim within |
|---|---|
| Coming toward you | 150 metres |
| Travelling ahead of you | 60 metres |
Low beams can be the better choice despite an empty road
The handbook recommends low beams in city night driving. On an open road, high beams can be used when there is no oncoming vehicle or vehicle ahead requiring them to be dimmed. High beams do not compensate for driving faster than the distance you can see and use safely.
Fog, snow and rain can reflect high-beam light back toward the driver. Use low beams in reduced visibility, slow down and allow a larger following interval. Also check that the full lighting system is working; daytime running lights are not a substitute for the required headlights.
Source: Nova Scotia Driver’s Handbook — Night driving and poor visibility ↗Separate dimming, visibility and retaliation
Original night-driving cases
An oncoming car is 120 metres away. That falls within the 150-metre dimming distance. Use low beams even if the open road would otherwise support high beams.
You follow a vehicle at 50 metres at night. That is inside the 60-metre following threshold. Dim the lights; do not use high beams to pressure the driver ahead to speed up.
An oncoming driver keeps high beams on. The handbook says to keep yours low, reduce speed, use the right road edge as a guide and avoid looking directly at the glare. Responding with more glare makes the visibility problem worse.
Check both light selection and the speed of travel
Headlights are also needed whenever you cannot see at least 300 metres ahead, according to the current handbook. Switching on a lamp does not make that visibility return. Adjust your speed and scanning to the actual distance available, and use the adverse-conditions material for fog and heavy rain.
For practice, identify whether the sentence concerns an oncoming vehicle, one ahead, or the surrounding visibility. Then select the lamp setting and explain the threshold. All linked questions and feedback are free; the examples are original learning cases, not an official question or an assessment of real-world night-driving ability.
Source: Nova Scotia Driver’s Handbook — Night driving and poor visibility ↗