Top Types Of Car Lights in Nigeria And Their Functions

There are several parts of a car that are meant for safety and the lights are one of the most important ones. When you hear someone mention stuff about car lights, all that will come to your mind will be the headlamps and backlights which are basic lights used for seeing what is ahead and behind respectively, but there is more to that and other lights that serve several purposes. Car manufacturers probably installed these lights on automobiles to ensure that every driver’s attention is drawn to any activity that is going on in their environment. They also serve as one of many driver assistance and safety systems that help

Make sure you do not get into an accident.

In this article, the focus will be mainly on those on the car’s body and not the dashboard. The article gives a list of nine car lights and their functions.

Headlights:

The headlights beam from the headlamps is installed in the front of your vehicle near the lid of the hood and the front fender. The lights are there to help a driver or occupants of the car see what is ahead when it is dark or foggy. The lights beam can go high and low depending on where you are driving. If you are on a highway alone, the high beams are perfect to allow you to see what is far and a lot more clearly. It also makes it easier for cars from afar to see yours coming and avoid any possible collision on time. The low beam is ideal for when you are on a busy road so that it does not blind other oncoming drivers. It is also unnecessary to increase the beam when you can clearly see with the help of other drivers’ lights and the streetlights as well.

Tail Lights/ Back Lights:

Tail lights or backlights as they are called in Nigeria, are at the car’s rear. They are installed and placed in a way that it comes on when you turn on the headlights. It shines red and it is somewhat reflective even when off. The idea is so that vehicles behind you can see that your car is on or in motion. When off, the reflective feature still alerts any oncoming car off the position of your vehicle to enable them to steer clear.

Brake Lights:

These are lights located just by the side of the backlights. You do not have to turn them on to show you are about to use your brakes. All you need so is maintain them and fix them when they burn out. To use, just simply apply your brakes and they come on to notify any oncoming vehicle of your intention to slow down. When they go off, the vehicles behind you will know that you are back to your previous speed.

Trafficators:

Trafficators are actually known as signal lights. They can be found both at the rear and the front of the vehicle. They are beside the brake lights, at the edge of the vehicle, to make them noticeable. They basically just alert the person driving behind where the driver in front is going to turn to next in order to avoid a collision. These signal lights or blinkers keep going off and on briskly to notify oncoming vehicles that you are about to turn either left or right. It is easy to activate or deactivate while driving. Always ensure that they are working because hand signals would not always work especially on busy roads or on an expressway.

Hazard Lights:

Hazard lights can be found in the front and behind a vehicle. They are mainly used to let other drivers know that there is danger ahead, barricades, or that you are about to manoeuvre. The lights are also known as flashers. Simply turn them on and they’ll keep emitting flashing signals.

Daytime Lights:

These are not found on every vehicle. It is mostly on newly made cars. They are located at the rear and front. These lights come on automatically to make it easy for your car to be seen by oncoming drivers. Some vehicles come with a switch for turning the daylight running lights off and on.

Fog Lights:

Do you usually notice some white lights directly underneath the headlights? Those are fog lights. Initially, headlights were meant to do both jobs and that of the fog lights, but modern cars have those installed below so they do not refract back at you while enabling you to see through foggy weather. So, it is a new invention.

Driving Lamps:

Driving lamps are commonly known as inner lights in Nigeria. They can be put on to enable you to see your environment within the vehicle. It is usually installed on the roof of the car. Most times you may want to search for something in the vehicle at night and instead of using a torchlight, you can just decide to turn on the light to enable you to see within the car clearly.

Door Lights:

Asides from the sign on the dashboard that shows a door is open, there used to be lights on the door to indicate this. They are red in colour and come on when a door is not properly shut or when open. You would still find the door lights on some old models of cars but new models of cars now have a signal on the dashboard.

Now that you have knowledge of all the major car lights and their functions, you can drive safe and smart without putting your life and that of other road users at risk.