Lighting: dipped beam, main beam, fog lamps, hazard lights and tunnels

By Mustafa Aybek · maker of Rijtheorie Hub · sources: RVV 1990, cbr.nl · last updated 2026-10-11

Dipped beam: your standard driving light in the dark and in poor visibility

• Mandatory at night and in poor daytime visibility
• Needed in fog, rain, snow or dark skies
• Shines short and low, never dazzles others
• On almost always in built-up areas too
• Position, rear and plate lights follow automatically
• When unsure: better too early than too late

Watch out: exceptions and pitfalls

• Daytime running lights alone are NOT enough at night or in fog: DRLs often only light the front and leave your rear lights off, making you invisible from behind. Always deliberately switch to dipped beam.
• Amsterdam trap: the many street lights, lit shop windows and trams make it seem brighter than it is. Cyclists without lights on dark streets and along the canals are spotted very late, so drive on dipped beam by default in the city, even during daytime rain.
• Many modern cars have an AUTO position for the lights. It does not always switch to dipped beam in time in tunnels or under viaducts; check yourself that your rear lights are on.
• A misted-up or dirty headlight gives far less light; clean your lamps in winter and check that both dipped-beam bulbs work (a broken lamp is a fine and a hazard).
• At dusk and in 'grey' daytime weather you are legally required to use lights as soon as your visibility is 'seriously reduced'; do not wait until it is fully dark.

Main beam: maximum vision on dark roads, but dim immediately for others

• Only on dark roads with no traffic
• Dim at once for oncoming and close-ahead vehicles
• Dim for cyclists, pedestrians, riders and crossings
• Dim whenever you are stationary
• Pointless and dazzling in built-up areas
• Blue dashboard light means main beam is on

Watch out: exceptions and pitfalls

• Most common mistake: forgetting to dim for an oncoming vehicle. Dim well in advance, not only when it is close; a dazzled oncoming driver can no longer see you (or a cyclist).
• You must also dim for a vehicle ahead that you are overtaking or approaching closely, not only for oncoming traffic. Many learners forget this.
• In Amsterdam you almost never need main beam: the whole city and the A10 ring road are lit. Use it at most on the occasional dark road in the polder around the city.
• Automatic main beam (matrix/assist systems) does not always dim for cyclists without lights or for a distant oncoming vehicle; keep watching yourself and dim manually when needed.
• Main beam in fog actually makes visibility worse: the light reflects off the fog droplets like a white wall. Use dipped beam or fog lamps then, never main beam.
• A light flash (flashing the main beam) has no legal meaning of 'you go ahead'; do not interpret it as priority you do not have.

Fog lamps: front only when visibility is seriously reduced (rule of thumb: below 200 m), rear only below 50 metres

• Front fog lamps only when visibility is seriously reduced (rule of thumb < 200 m)
• Rear fog lamp only below 50 m visibility
• No rear fog in normal rain or darkness
• Too bright: dazzles others, hides brake lights
• Switch all off the moment visibility improves
• Green symbol = front, amber symbol = rear

Watch out: exceptions and pitfalls

• Classic mistake and fine: leaving the rear fog lamp on in ordinary rain or in the evening without fog. That is not allowed and dazzles the traffic behind you; only switch it on below 50 metres visibility and off again immediately when it clears.
• Front fog lamps are often accidentally left on after a foggy morning; in clear weather they dazzle oncoming drivers. Check your indicators before you drive off.
• In and around Amsterdam dense fog is relatively rare, but over the IJ, along the canals and on the polder roads outside the ring it can suddenly close in locally; adjust your lighting to each situation.
• Fog lamps are not 'cool' mood lighting: using them in dry, clear weather is prohibited and earns a fine.
• In city and traffic-jam situations with only rain: use dipped beam, not your rear fog lamp. In a traffic jam you may briefly use your hazard lights (see that section).
• Some cars only have a rear fog lamp and no front fog lamps; know which button does what, because accidentally switching on the rear lamp happens a lot.

Daytime running lights, position lights and parking lights: what they are and are not for

• DRLs mandatory since 2011, come on automatically
• Do not light the road; rear lights stay off
• Position lights show width, only for stationary cars
• Driving on position lights alone is forbidden
• Parking lights only where a car needs visibility
• When dark or poor visibility, switch to dipped beam

Watch out: exceptions and pitfalls

• The biggest misconception: 'but my lights are on?' Often that is only the front DRL; your rear lights are then off. In a tunnel, in rain and at dusk you are invisible from behind. Switch manually to dipped beam.
• Cars made before 2011 have no mandatory daytime running lights; in poor daytime visibility you must switch on your dipped beam yourself.
• Parking in a built-up area: on a lit road a parked car usually does not need to show lights. Do not leave the parking light on needlessly, as it drains your battery.
• Outside built-up areas or on an unlit road a parked vehicle may be required to show parking or position lights so that others can see it.
• AUTO light setting + DRL is a notorious pair: the car seems 'on' but does not always switch to full dipped beam in dark covered sections. Check your dashboard: is the green dipped-beam symbol lit?

Hazard lights: warning others in a traffic jam, a breakdown and danger

• Red triangle button flashes all indicators at once
• In a jam: briefly on to warn traffic behind
• In a breakdown: on while the car stands dangerously
• Sensible: place a warning triangle (not required if your hazard lights are flashing) and wear a vest outside built-up areas (never required)
• May also be on while towing a vehicle
• No excuse to stop or park illegally

Watch out: exceptions and pitfalls

• The jam warning only works if you use it briefly: leave them on until the traffic behind brakes and then switch them off, otherwise people think you are stationary.
• Mistake many people make: switching on hazards to 'quickly' double-park or load/unload in a forbidden spot. That is not a valid excuse and simply earns a fine — certainly in Amsterdam with its strict enforcement.
• On the narrow Amsterdam canals and in one-way streets double-parking immediately blocks trams, cyclists and buses; hazard lights do not cancel that offence.
• In a breakdown on the motorway/ring: stand behind the crash barrier, do not stay in the car; the hazards warn others but do not protect you.
• If you want to indicate a direction while your hazards are on, on many cars that does not work separately per side; switch the hazards off before pulling away and use your normal indicator.
• Driving with hazards on (except briefly for a jam or while towing) confuses others and is not allowed as an 'I may go anywhere' signal.

Tunnels: always dipped beam on and watch the overhead signals

• Dipped beam required, even by day and in lit tunnels
• Switch lights on before you enter the tunnel
• DRLs not enough; rear lights must be on
• Green arrow: lane open; red cross: lane closed
• Keep distance, obey speed, no turning or reversing
• In fire: escape via marked door, leave key in ignition

Watch out: exceptions and pitfalls

• Most common mistake: entering a tunnel on DRLs only, leaving your rear lights off. Deliberately switch on your dipped beam before the tunnel.
• A red cross above your lane is not advice but a prohibition: leave that lane immediately and safely. A flashing amber arrow pointing diagonally down means you must move to the indicated lane.
• With an AUTO light setting the car does not always switch to dipped beam in a short, brightly lit tunnel; check that the dipped beam is really on.
• In a tunnel you may not turn around, reverse or stop except in an emergency lay-by; in a tunnel traffic jam move up calmly and keep your distance.
• In case of fire or dense smoke: do not stay in the car and do not try to turn around; walk to the nearest escape door (marked roughly every fifty metres) and leave the engine off but the key in the ignition.
• Amsterdam congestion: the IJtunnel and Piet Hein tunnel clog up quickly in rush hour; do not tailgate and watch for suddenly braking traffic ahead.

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