What should you do when oncoming vehicles are within 500 feet while using high beams?

When oncoming vehicles are within 500 feet, it is necessary to dim the headlights. High beams can significantly impair the vision of drivers in oncoming vehicles, making safe navigation difficult. By switching to low beams, you reduce glare for those drivers, thereby enhancing safety for everyone on the road. This practice is also a legal requirement in many states, including Tennessee, and reflects good driving etiquette, ensuring that you are considerate of other drivers' visibility needs.

Maintaining high beams could result in temporarily blinding the oncoming driver, potentially leading to hazardous situations. Turning off the headlights entirely is not safe, as it can leave you without any visibility of the road ahead, especially in low-light conditions. Using fog lights in this scenario is also not appropriate, as fog lights are designed for use in foggy or low-visibility conditions rather than for general driving. Therefore, dimming the headlights is the correct and safe action to take in this situation.