The trap
Many learners think: You may only use full beam outside a built-up area; inside a built-up area it is prohibited outright.
The rule is: There is no 'prohibited inside a built-up area' in the book. Full beam is prohibited under three concrete conditions: during the day, when another road user is approaching you, when you are closely following another vehicle. Outside a built-up area without oncoming or leading traffic, at night, full beam is allowed
Challenge
Many learners have memorised: 'full beam is only allowed outside the built-up area.' Sounds logical, but the book does not actually say that. There is no built-up-area boundary in the text — there are three concrete moments when full beam is prohibited. Know those three, and you never have to guess whether you are 'inside' or 'outside' the built-up area.
Read this section on its own page: Challenge: Daytime running lights, dipped beam and full beam
The model
Dipped beam mandatory (Book p.184): at night, and during the day when visibility is less than 200 metres. Full beam prohibited (Book p.185) under three conditions: during the day, when another road user — including a pedestrian — is approaching you, and when you are closely following another vehicle. No fourth rule about the built-up area.
Read this section on its own page: The model: Daytime running lights, dipped beam and full beam
Core
Daytime running lights come on automatically when the engine starts. As soon as you switch on dipped beam, full beam or fog light yourself, the daytime running light must switch off automatically — it is a replacement, not an extra layer of light (Book p.184). Even with automatic lighting, you remain responsible for it happening at the right moment (Book p.183). Dipped beam is mandatory at night, and during the day as soon as visibility is less than 200 metres — for example in rain or fog. If you see many oncoming vehicles with dipped beam during the day, that alone is a signal that bad weather is coming further ahead (Book p.184). You switch on full beam when dipped beam does not give you a good enough overview of the road situation. But three conditions make full beam prohibited: during the day, as soon as another road user (including a pedestrian) approaches you, and as soon as you are following another vehicle at close range (Book p.185). Inside the built-up area, one of those three conditions is almost always true — but that is a practical observation, not a separate rule from the book. Full beam, dipped beam, daytime running lights and sidelights may only emit white or yellow light (Book p.184).
Read this section on its own page: Core: Daytime running lights, dipped beam and full beam
Why it matters
Someone who thinks 'no full beam inside the built-up area' forgets the reverse mistake: on an empty, unlit provincial road outside Vollenhove, with no oncoming or leading traffic, full beam IS allowed — and not using it means driving with needlessly reduced visibility. Conversely, someone who dips too late for an oncoming unlit cyclist on the dike near Vollenhove blinds that cyclist completely, cutting their reaction time to almost nothing.
Read this section on its own page: Why it matters: Daytime running lights, dipped beam and full beam
Source: RVV 1990 art. 32 · RVV 1990 art. 35 · checked 2026-10-22
Frequently asked questions
‘You may only use full beam outside a built-up area; inside a built-up area it is prohibited outright’ – is that true?
No. There is no 'prohibited inside a built-up area' in the book. Full beam is prohibited under three concrete conditions: during the day, when another road user is approaching you, when you are closely following another vehicle. Outside a built-up area without oncoming or leading traffic, at night, full beam is allowed
‘Dipped beam is only mandatory at night; during the day it is never required’ – is that true?
No. Dipped beam is mandatory at night, AND during the day when there is poor visibility (less than 200 metres). The second condition is independent of the time of day
‘Daytime running lights stay on alongside dipped or full beam; you don't need to switch them off separately’ – is that true?
No. As soon as you switch on dipped beam, full beam or fog light, the daytime running light must be (automatically) switched off. It is a replacement, not an addition
‘The ban on full beam applies only to oncoming vehicles, not to a pedestrian coming towards you’ – is that true?
No. The book explicitly names 'another road user (including a pedestrian)' — a pedestrian counts fully as oncoming traffic
‘Full beam is forbidden in rain, regardless of whether there is oncoming or preceding traffic’ – is that true?
No. Rain by itself is not in the book's list of three prohibition conditions for full beam