According to the RA Law on Ensuring Road Traffic Safety, the dark time of the day is:

Explanation

The period between the end of evening twilight and the beginning of morning twilight.

The law defines "the dark time of day" by the actual state of light, not by the clock. Its starting point is the moment evening twilight ends and its end point is the moment morning twilight begins; that is, the interval between the two twilights, when natural light is not enough to see the road.

The reason for this choice is the changing length of the day. In Armenia the difference between a July sunset and a January sunset is several hours, and in valleys and mountain routes the shadow of the mountain darkens everything sooner. Any clock-based definition would be wrong for half the year: it would either leave drivers in real darkness with no lighting requirement, or impose a pointless duty on them in full daylight. A light-based definition adjusts itself to the season and the location. Its practical importance lies in lighting requirements, visibility restrictions and certain speed rules. A safe rule of thumb for Armenian roads: switch your lights on at the very start of twilight and do not wait for full darkness — it is precisely the twilight interval in which spotting a pedestrian or a cyclist is harder than at any other time.

• Fixed seasonal hours do not match astronomical reality; the length of the day in Armenia changes by several hours between summer and winter, and such a table would be wrong for half the year. • The absence of sunlight also covers the twilight interval, but during twilight there is still usable light; legal darkness begins after twilight ends.

Sources and content coverage · Report a content error