How to align your headlights

Or why those people driving towards you are flashing their lights at you? It's simple; your headlights probably need adjusting.

We rarely think about the alignment of our headlights, until we're driving down a dark country road and seeing more of the scenery than the road ahead. If that's not enough to alert us to a problem the flashing lights of other motorists should do the trick.

The headlights on our cars should be checked for correct alignment at least once a year, and certainly checked before we head off on a long trip that's probably going to include some night driving. 

There's nothing more annoying, and tiring, than staring into the darkness trying to make out what's up ahead. Headlights can shift out of alignment for any number of reasons.

They could be knocked out of alignment, the adjustment screws could be moved while the headlights are being replaced, but most likely misalignment will occur because of a change in attitude of the car, through extra load in the boot, or a trailer or caravan on the back.

The headlights on some cars are adjusted automatically to the load being carried, others have a switch on the dash the driver can use to alter the setting according to load, others need to be adjusted manually using screws on the headlights themselves.

Refer to your car's owner's manual to find out how to adjust the headlights. The owner's manual often also has a guide you can use to determine the correct settings for the number of passengers being carried, the load in the boot, and anything attached to the rear.