NDOT installing daytime headlight signs ahead of coming requirement on two-way rural highways

Beginning the week of Dec. 16, NDOT will install the first in a series of daytime headlight signage. The first signs will be installed on U.S. 95 near the U.S. 95 Alternate junction in Schurz.
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The Nevada Department of Transportation is installing ‘daytime headlights required’ signage in advance of an updated Nevada traffic law requiring daytime headlight use while driving on rural two-lane roadways.

Beginning this week, NDOT will install the first in a series of daytime headlight signage. The first signs will be installed on U.S. 95 near the U.S. 95 Alternate junction in Schurz.

Ultimately, NDOT will install or replace more than 50 daytime headlight signs on U.S. 95 and U.S. 6 in central Nevada. 

The sign installation schedule is subject to change based on weather and other factors.

The 108-by 36-inch tall signs are large to grab driver attention. The signs will read “Turn on Headlights,” noting the distance to the next major city where headlights are not required.

Current Nevada state law requires vehicle headlights to be on during nighttime hours from 30 minutes after sunset to 30 minutes before sunrise, when raining or during any other time of limited visibility, and when directed to do so by traffic signage.

Effective July 1, 2028, headlights will also be required to be on at all times while driving two-lane rural highways in the state (NRS 484D.100). The law does not apply to two-lane urban streets or highways with more than one lane in each direction.

In preparation, NDOT is phasing in daytime headlight requirements on sections of highway to raise driver awareness and enhance roadway visibility.

Daytime headlight sections already exist on select areas of Nevada highways, including U.S. 6 in the Tonopah area and near the Nevada/California border, as well on U.S. 95 in Mineral County.

NDOT reminds motorists that using daytime running lights can provide enhanced visibility of your vehicle, even in areas where daytime headlights are not required.

With head-on crashes being one of the most frequent crashes on rural roads nationwide, the requirement is a safety precaution to enhance visibility for drivers on two-lane Nevada highways.  Combined, 110 crashes occurred involving vehicles passing on U.S. 6 and U.S. 95 in Nevada between October 2019 and October 2023.

With safety as top priority, NDOT has put the following safety enhancements in place for safer travel on two-lane roads across the state:

• NDOT’s Speed Management Action Plan outlines strategies to manage speed on all roadways in Nevada and save lives.
• NDOT is prioritizing additional passing lanes statewide to enhance safe passing opportunities.
• NDOT has installed rumble strips on thousands of miles of state roadways. Consisting of parallel grooves cut into the centerline of a roadway, tires running over the strips produce sound and vibration to alert and allow motorists to correct their vehicles and avoid crashes.
• NDOT has graded and flattened roadside slopes and edges, helping drivers to safely correct their vehicle if they unintentionally leave the road or have to pull off in event of emergency.

SAFETY ON TWO-LANE HIGHWAYS

• Drive attentively at all times, including on two-lane rural roads. Even on rural roads, there are still other drivers on the road.
• Speed continues to be a primary factor in fatal traffic crashes, and the best way a driver can reduce their risk of crash is to reduce their speed. Follow posted speed limits, and be ready to slow below speed limit for adverse conditions such as weather. The faster you go, the less time you will have to react if anything happens.
• Pass only when safe to do so, and only in designated passing areas.
• Do not tailgate.
• Maintain your lane control. Stay to the right enough so that passing vehicles in the opposite lane can clear you. Watch for vehicles entering or passing on the roadway ahead of you.
• Continually scan the roadway in front of you. Be aware at all times of the road ahead, including the potential of wildlife, access roads and more.

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