Types of Vehicle Lights
Headlights
Headlights are located at the front of your vehicle and are integral in improving your visibility on the road. Headlights have two settings, low beams and high beams. Low beams are directed slightly downward and provide a good amount of light without blinding other drivers. Low Beams are also used during the daytime as daytime running lights, and in most modern vehicles these will come on automatically when the key is turned in the ignition. If your vehicle is not equipped with this feature, it’s good practice to manually turn your headlights on for daytime driving safety.
High beams, on the other hand, are extremely bright and are centred straight; providing a greater amount of light than low beams. Because high beams can be blinding to other drivers, they should only be used when there are not a lot of cars around and when you are driving on poorly-lit roads at night.
Parking Lights
These are the amber lights that highlight the four corners of your vehicle for added visibility. They will always be on while your headlights are on, and should also be monitored regularly for burnt out bulbs.
Tail Lights
Like your vehicle’s headlights, your tail lights help improve the overall visibility of your vehicle to other drivers. Tail lights are the red lights located at the rear of your vehicle and are activated when your headlights are turned on. While your vehicle may have automatic daytime running lights, not all vehicles feature automatic night time lighting, including tail lights. It’s important to understand how your specific vehicles lighting system operates, to ensure you have tail lights during conditions of low visibility such as night time or in heavy rain or snow.
Brake Lights
Your brake lights are also located at the rear of your vehicle and are designed to light up automatically when you use your brakes. As such, these lights are critical to the safety of others as it signals to the drivers behind you that you are slowing down or are coming to a complete stop.
Fog Lights
Fog lights are located both in the front and the rear of most modern vehicles. Fog lights are completely separate from headlights and are turned on manually to improve your visibility in foggy conditions. Note: because fog lights have an intense beam of light, it’s important that they are only turned on when necessary.
Signal Lights
Your signal lights are located at both the front and rear ends of your vehicle and communicate to other drivers (by blinking) when you are intending to make a turn or change lanes. As a result, signal lights are one of the most important safety features on your vehicle and, like other vehicle lights, should be replaced immediately when they are no longer working.
Hazard Lights
Hazard lights are also located at the front and rear ends of your vehicle. Once turned on, the lights will flash and signal to others on the road that you are experiencing an issue and they should proceed with caution while driving around you.
Jiffy Lube’s knowledgeable technicians are qualified to replace many different types of vehicle lights and get you on your way in a jiffy!
