Jun 20, 2024
Why Drivers Turn Headlights Off At Crosswalks
Photo by Tống Kim Ngọc (source link)
Picture this: the sun has gone down and the street lights have turned on. You’re on a semi-busy street out in a residential area and happen to walk up to a striped crossing without a signal light while a car approaches the intersection. The driver of the car turns his headlights off completely.
What do you do?
If you’re anything like me when I first came to Japan, you would probably try to peer into the car and see if the driver’s looking at you (fun fact, in 90% of my experience they did NOT look) before gingerly stepping onto the crosswalk.
It has only clicked on me recently that if a driver turns off the headlights, it’s a signal that you’re acknowledged. I managed to piece it together when the car I was watching slowed down before they turned their headlights off. Figuring it out made me a bit more confident crossing the road since I have always had trouble finding the eyes of the drivers to make that mutual acknowledgement check. It certainly doesn’t help that so many of the front windows are tinted here in Japan.
I’m not sure if this is just the Kanto area. Perhaps drivers in other prefectures don’t do this, so maybe it isn’t something I should get used to for safety.
Do drivers in your area do this? Or if you drive, do you do this?
1 Comment
genkidesu
on Jun 21
I hadn't actually noticed it (probably because I'm so rarely out after dark!) but I think it's a great gesture! Knowing that you're seen by a driver on a crosswalk is really helpful. I know my kids got it ingrained into them at yochien to raise their hand any time they're going across a crosswalk...they still often do it these days!