The Nevada Department of Transportation is installing daytime headlights signage south of Fallon near the U.S. 95 Alternate junction in Schurz.
NDOT
The Nevada Department of Transportation is installing “daytime headlights required” signage south of Fallon in advance of an updated Nevada traffic law requiring daytime headlight use while driving on rural two-lane roadways.
NDOT is installing this week the first in a series of daytime headlight signage on U.S. 95 near the U.S. 95 Alternate junction in Schurz.
NDOT will install or replace more than 50 daytime headlight signs on U.S. 95 and U.S. 6 in central Nevada. U.S. Highway 95 is the main route from Trinity Junction at Interstate 80 to Las Vegas.
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.
Changes are coming in mid-2028 regarding the use of headlights on the state’s two-lane highways. Headlights will also be required to be on at all times while driving two-lane rural highways in the state. The law does not apply to two-lane urban streets or highways with more than one lane in each direction. This will be in accordance with Nevada Revised Statute 484D.100
NDOT is phasing in daytime headlight requirements on sections of the 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.
NDOT has put the following safety enhancements in place for safer travel on two-lane roads across the state. NDOT has been implementing strategies to manage speed on Nevada’s roadways, prioritizing additional passing lanes statewide to enhance safe passing opportunities and installing rumble strips on thousands of miles of state roadways. The rumble strips 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.