Q&A - Driving at Night With Interior Lights On (2024)

FAQs

Can you drive with your car interior lights on? ›

No, contrary to popular belief, it isn't illegal to drive with your interior lights on. That said, driving with interior lights on can make it hard to see and can lead to accidents.

During night driving, any interior lights in the car that may affect the driver's vision, such as dome lights and map lights, are best kept off. However, on occasions such as daily parking and rest, led interior lights can provide drivers and passengers with better vision and experience.

Headlights are required for safe night driving. They have two beams, one for maximum illumination and one for deflection to the ground. They also have a low-intensity beam for driving in the city. At night, high-beam lights can blind an oncoming driver, so they should only be used when there is no oncoming car.

Driving at night with the interior (dome) light on will significantly reduce your ability to see anything outside of the car, including the road ahead.

If you have left car lights on all night, the battery can quickly run down. It does not make much difference whether it is a halogen, LED or xenon lamp. If you leave the light on for too long, the battery will drain and the car will no longer start.

Night driving is dangerous because, even with high-beam headlights on, visibility is limited to about 500 feet (250 feet for normal headlights) creating less time to react to something in the road, especially when driving at higher speeds.

Reduce your speed.

Visibility is limited at night. Not only is it difficult to see ahead of you, but it's also difficult to see objects approaching from either side of the road. It's important to reduce your speed while driving at night to compensate for limited visibility.

High beams let you see about 350-500 feet ahead but can also blind oncoming drivers. A rule of thumb is to dim lights when you are within 500 feet of oncoming traffic. Flashing your lights to let an oncoming car know it has high beams on is typically acceptable, however the laws do vary by state.

Why should you not leave lights on at night? ›

Leaving your outside lights on at night can give the illusion that someone is home, and help neighbors keep watch of your property. However, leaving your lights on all day and night can be a clear indicator that nobody is at the property, which works against you.

You should use your headlights whenever visibility is low. If you are unable to see 500 to 1000 feet (150 to 305 meters) ahead of you, your headlights must go on. Always use your headlights at night. Use the low beams when other vehicles are nearby and your high beams in other conditions.

The best night light colors for sleep are red and amber, as they are warm and soothing colors that promote a good night's sleep. It's thought that colors close to red on the light spectrum stimulate melatonin production. Red light has a lower color temperature than regular sunlight, making it ideal for sleep.

So, is it illegal or not? Yes, believe it or not, driving with interior lights on is, in fact, legal in most states. And while this is technically good news, it's certainly not the safest. There's a reason parents with young drivers tell that age-old myth: It keeps their family safe, especially at night.

If you're caught in a storm while driving, you are safest in an enclosed, metal vehicle. (This means hard-topped cars with all of the windows shut.) If your car is struck by lightning, the current will flow through the metal body of the vehicle to the ground.

One of the most common cause of car interior lights staying on is malfunctioning switches. These switches are usually located around your car's door frame and are used to detect when your door is open or closed.

While you may have memories of your parents telling you it's against the law to turn on the cabin lights while they were driving, it's not, according to the California DMV. “There is no law in California that prohibits driving with the dome light on,” DMV officials said.