What type of lighting should cars use when parked on the highway at night?

When parked on the highway at night, using parking lights or lower beam headlights is essential for safety. This practice enhances the visibility of your stationary vehicle to oncoming traffic, helping to prevent accidents. Parking lights serve to indicate that the vehicle is not in motion, while lower beam headlights provide sufficient illumination in the area and make the car more noticeable. This consideration is crucial because a parked vehicle can be a hazard on busy highways, especially if it's not easily discernible from a distance.

Using high beams in this situation could create glare that makes it challenging for other drivers to see the road properly and can lead to confusion about whether the vehicle is moving or stationary. The choice of not using any lights at all unless a car approaches does not adequately alert other drivers of the stationary vehicle, increasing the likelihood of collisions. Employing hazard lights can sometimes be appropriate when a vehicle is stopped in an emergency situation, but it is not the standard for every parked vehicle. Thus, the best choice for nighttime safety when parked on the highway is to use parking lights or lower beam headlights.