Headlight rules: California, Virginia, Oregon

Headlight questions are about three things: when lights must be on, when to switch from high beam to low beam, and what to use in rain or fog.

The table shows what the three handbooks say, as we read them on 12 November 2026. "Not in the passages we read" means only that: the handbook may well cover the point elsewhere, so look it up there.

Rule	California	Virginia	Oregon
Lights must be on	Not captured from the sections we read	From sunset to sunrise; when visibility is reduced to 500 feet; whenever wipers are in use because of weather	From sunset to sunrise; whenever it is hard to see people or vehicles 1,000 feet ahead
Dim for oncoming traffic	Dim high beams to avoid blinding an oncoming driver	Switch to low beams whenever you meet oncoming traffic	Within 500 feet of an oncoming vehicle
Dim when following	Not in the passages we read	Within 200 feet of the vehicle ahead	Within 350 feet of the vehicle ahead
Rain, fog, dust, smoke	Low-beam headlights in rain; never parking lights only	Headlights with wipers	Low beam; high beams reflect back and cause glare

Wipers on, lights on

Virginia's manual states the rule most simply: you must use your headlights whenever you use your windshield wipers because of bad weather. California's handbook tells drivers to turn on wipers, low-beam headlights and defroster in rain. The reason is as much to be seen as to see.

High beams

High beams are for open roads with no other vehicles near. California's handbook says to use them on open country roads or dark city streets and to make sure you can stop within the distance your headlights light up. All three handbooks require dimming for other drivers; Oregon and Virginia give distances, and they are not the same, so learn your own. Oregon adds that when you must dim, fog lights and other auxiliary lights must be off.

When another driver does not dim

California's handbook advises: do not look directly into the oncoming headlights, look toward the right edge of your lane, and do not retaliate by keeping your own high beams on.

Fog

The instinct in fog is to use more light. The handbooks say the opposite: low beams, because high-beam light reflects off the fog back into your eyes. Slow down, and if you cannot see, pull well off the road.

Test tip

Distances for dimming are the usual question. Oregon: 500 feet oncoming and 350 feet following. Virginia: 200 feet when following.

Next: speed limits where no sign is posted Practice test

Independent practice site. DMV Practice is not a government website and is not connected with any Department of Motor Vehicles or licensing agency. The questions are our own, written from each state's public driver handbook as we read it on 12 November 2026. They are not the official test questions. Laws change: the current handbook of your own state is the authority.