Keep headlights on when operating windshield wipers due to weather

  • Published
  • By Chris Tirey
  • 88th Air Base Wing Safety
WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio. --   The Ohio Revised Code, Section 4513.03 reads, in part: Every vehicle, other than a motorized bicycle, operated upon a street or highway within this state shall display lighted lights and illuminating devices during all of the following times: 

(1) The time from sunset to sunrise; 

(2) At any other time when, due to insufficient natural light or unfavorable atmospheric conditions, persons, vehicles and substantial objects on the highway are not discernible at a distance of 1,000 feet ahead; 

(3) At any time when the windshield wipers of the vehicle are in use because of precipitation on the windshield. 

No motor vehicle, during any time specified in this section, shall be operated upon a street or highway within this state using only parking lights as illumination. 
 
Safe vehicle operation is challenging under the best of circumstances. 
 
Considerations include: 

› Dedicated situational awareness at all times: We share the roadways with school buses, which creates a ... pedestrian safety issue that demands heightened attention by all.

› Avoidance of personal performance eroding factors: Fatigue, use of alcohol or any drug ... with side effects decreases perception or reaction.
 
› Compensation for roadway conditions: Keep in mind that speed limits are calculated for pristine surfaces. Speed must be adjusted whenever conditions deteriorate. 

› Maintaining vehicle systems as the manufacturer intended: Even the most gifted driver's ability is of questionable value if the vehicle is unable respond as expected. 
  
Making your vehicle visually conspicuous while enhancing your ability to see hazards in time to react to them benefits you, your passengers and those you share the road with. This is especially true when precipitation has a negative impact on braking distances.