California DMV Motorcycle Knowledge Test (M1)Lane Position and VisibilityHard
You are riding on a two-lane road at night. An oncoming car fails to dim its high beams, blinding you. What is the primary focus of your visual attention to maintain control and safety?
- ABriefly close your eyes to allow them to readjust to the darkness.
- BLook directly at the oncoming headlights to try and make eye contact.
- CFocus on the white line at the far right edge of your lane.
- DLook slightly to the left of the oncoming headlights, towards the center line.
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: C. Focus on the white line at the far right edge of your lane.
When blinded by oncoming high beams, focusing on the white line at the far right edge of your lane allows you to maintain a sense of your lane position and direction without staring directly into the blinding light, which would further impair your night vision.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. Closing your eyes, even briefly, means you are driving blind, which is extremely dangerous.
- B. Staring directly at high beams will further impair your vision and can lead to temporary blindness.
- D. Looking towards the center line might still put you too close to the glare and could cause you to drift left towards oncoming traffic.
Night Blindness Recovery
Techniques for maintaining visual reference and control when temporarily blinded by bright lights at night.
- Avoid direct stare at bright lights.
- Use lane markers as visual guides.
- Reduce speed if necessary.
Memory trick: White line guide, save your hide.