WI · jury_instructions
Wis JI-Civil 1053
Equipment and Maintenance of Vehicles: Headlights
The Wisconsin statutes provide that:
[Use the appropriate following paragraph(s).]
(a) Every motor vehicle shall be equipped with at least two headlights. The
headlights shall be mounted on the front of the vehicle at a height of not more than 54 inches
nor less than 24 inches from the ground.
(b) The headlights must be multiple beam lights; the upper beam from both lights,
aimed straight ahead, must be of such intensity to reveal persons and vehicles at a distance of
at least 350 feet ahead, under normal atmospheric conditions, upon a straight and level
unlighted highway, and under all conditions of loading. The lowermost beam from both
lights must be of sufficient intensity to reveal persons and vehicles at a distance of at least
100 feet ahead under the same conditions.
(c) No person shall drive a vehicle upon a highway during hours of darkness unless
all headlights, required by the statute, are lighted. "Hours of darkness" is that period of time
from one-half hour after sunset to one-half hour before sunrise (and all other times when
there is not sufficient natural light to render clearly visible any person or vehicle upon a
highway at a distance of 500 feet).
(d) The driver of a vehicle shall keep all required headlights reasonably clean and
in proper working condition at all times.
(e) Whenever a motor vehicle is being driven on a highway during hours of
darkness, the driver shall use a beam directed high enough and of sufficient intensity to
reveal a person or vehicle at a safe distance ahead except that the driver, when approaching
an oncoming vehicle within 500 feet, shall dim, depress, or tilt the vehicle's headlights so that
the glaring rays are not directed into the eyes of the driver of the other vehicle.
(f) Whenever the driver of a vehicle equipped with multiple beam headlights
approaches or follows another vehicle within 500 feet to the rear, the driver shall dim,
depress, or tilt headlights on the vehicle so that the glaring rays are not reflected into the eyes
of the driver of the other vehicle.
A failure to comply with any of these statutes is negligence.
History
Wis JI-Civil 1053 (2008). ©2008, Regents, Univ. of Wis. Prepared by the Wisconsin Civil Jury Instructions Committee of the Wisconsin Judicial Conference with the University of Wisconsin Law School; posted by the Wisconsin State Law Library with the University's permission.
Provenance
- Source
- wilawlibrary.gov
- Retrieved
- 2026-09-24
- Edition
- 2026-09-24
- Content hash
28daea437266b24f78662c13e6d62b30988397d858d050bd307f420ce5cba634
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