Road rules and safety

Headlights and high beams

You must use your vehicle lights at night and in hazardous conditions. 


Headlights and taillights help you see and be seen. You must use them:

  • between sunset and sunrise
  • in hazardous conditions with reduced visibility.

Familiarise yourself with the headlight symbol on the dashboard to ensure it is on when required. 

Use your headlights safely

High beam headlights help you see further.  

Don’t use them in situations where you may dazzle other drivers.  

Use the low beam setting when a vehicle is less than 200 metres ahead and is:  

  • coming towards you
  • going in the same direction.  

If a car is approaching with high beams on, look to the left side of the road and move towards the left of your lane.  

If you’re dazzled by the lights, slow down and, when safe to do so, pull over until your eyes recover. 

Using fog lights

Front fog lights are designed to better illuminate the road in fog, snowfall, rainstorms or dust clouds. They can be recognised by the low, narrow vertical pattern (and wide lateral spread) of light emitted.

Road Rule 217 states that drivers must not use front or rear fog lights unless driving in fog or other hazardous weather conditions that cause reduced visibility. They must be switched on separate from the main beam (high beam) and dipped beam (passing) headlights.

Fog lights should only be used in hazardous weather conditions. Drivers should familiarise themselves with the dashboard warning symbols so that they do not inadvertently switch these lights on. 

Additional headlights (including LED light bars)

Additional headlights, also called driving lights, supplement the vehicle's standard headlights to better light up the road over a long distance, particularly in rural areas.  

LED light bars can be added to the front of a vehicle, provided they meet specific conditions.

We consider additional headlights to be ‘high beam’ headlights. You must only use additional headlights in the same way you must use high beams (see section above).

Additional headlights must also comply with the following conditions:

  • The lamps must only be able to be switched on when the high-beam headlights are in use. They must automatically turn off when high beams are turned off.
  • A maximum of four additional headlights (including LED light bars) may be fitted to a vehicle.
  • The lamps must always face forward and only show white light.
  • If fitted as pairs, they must be symmetrically positioned in relation to the vehicle's centre line.  
  • If not fitted as pairs, such as a single LED light bar, it must be positioned at the centre of the vehicle, symmetrical to its centre line. 
  • The light produced must not cause discomfort or glare to the driver, either directly or by reflection.
  • They must not obstruct the driver’s view of the road.
  • If you mount them on a bull bar, they must not stick out above the top or in front of it.
Image showing a diagram of two vehicles as to where additional headlights and LED bars should be mounted
  • Fit additional headlights so they're symmetrical.
  • Fit LED bar lights so they're symmetrical.
Image of a diagram of four vehicles showing how not to fit additional headlights or an LED bar
  • Don't fit LED light bars like this.
  • Don't fit additional headlights like this.

Daytime running lights

Daytime running lights (DRLs) are lights fitted to most modern vehicles. DRLs make the vehicle more visible to other road users in daylight. When used correctly, DRLs produce minimal glare.

DRLs are not designed to better lighten up the road. They are not a replacement for headlight use at night.

DRLs automatically turn on while the engine is running. They may switch off when fog lights or headlights are on.  

Adaptive front lighting system

Adaptive front lighting systems are another approach to improve vehicle lighting and road safety being introduced by manufacturers of new vehicles. Adaptive front lighting systems have the ability to automatically adjust the array lighting beams to suit varying conditions of use. This relates to both dipped beam and the main beam (high beam) headlights.

Vehicles that offer separate lighting modes in adaptive front lighting systems may allow headlights and daytime running lights to function at the same time. The intensity and angle of the daytime running lights are automatically adjusted to suit normal headlight operation.

Another feature of some adaptive front lighting systems is the ability to automatically adjust the direction and level of headlights to suit the curvature and contours of the road, which gives the motorist improved visibility in various conditions.

Road rules for headlights

The rules for headlights and high beams are published in the Road Safety Road Rules 2017

  • Part 13 – Lights and warning devices

You can also view more information in our vehicle standards information 8 on modifications to motor vehicles.