What should you do if your headlights fail while driving at night?

If your headlights fail while driving at night, the safest course of action is to pull over to the side of the road safely. This is essential because driving without functioning headlights significantly reduces your visibility and increases the risk of an accident. Stopping in a safe location allows you to assess the situation without putting yourself or others in danger. Once you are safely off the road, you can then address the issue, whether that involves troubleshooting, calling for assistance, or waiting for help to arrive.

Continuing to drive without headlights, hoping for the best, poses a serious safety risk not only to the driver but also to other road users. Turning off the engine might leave you stranded in traffic or a dangerous location and does not address the immediate problem of visibility. Using high beam lights when headlights have failed is also ineffective since the high beams won't illuminate the road if the primary lights are completely non-functional, and it could blind oncoming drivers. Thus, safely pulling over is the most practical and responsible choice in this situation.