If you are stopped on the roadside at night, a safe action is to

• A. Use hazard lights to warn other drivers
• B. Turn off all lights and stay hidden
• C. Open the door to greet passing motorists
• D. Exit the vehicle without looking

Answer: (A)

When you’re stopped on the roadside at night, the priority is to make your vehicle highly visible to other drivers and signal that you’re stationary. Using the hazard warning lights does exactly that—they light up and flash to alert approaching traffic that you’re stopped and may be a hazard. This reduces the chance of a rear-end collision and helps give other drivers time to slow down and react, which is especially important after dark when visibility is limited.

Turning off all lights eliminates visibility and makes it easy for someone to miss your vehicle. Opening the door to greet passing motorists or exiting without looking pulls you into the path of oncoming traffic, creating serious danger. Keeping the hazard lights on is the safest practice, with additional safety steps like staying clear of traffic and, if possible, placing warning devices behind the vehicle as appropriate.