Flashing lights to warn others about the police

anyone (in the Vegas area) has flashed lights to warn us about the police. Too bad, thought it was a good practice

I'm so tired of people going excessive speeds in residential areas, parking lots etc. that I have no pity on speeders anymore. An open, uncongested highway is one thing, but the others?

No one needs to do 20-30 (mph) over in these areas. People have stopped using common sense these days, and put themselves, and others at extreme risk. The number of times I've almost been hit while walking is frightening. I seem to have lost all rights as a pedestrian i.e., having the right-of-way in a crosswalk.

So, speed away! The BC government needs to reduce it's deficit budget!

I've heard you can get ticketed for using flashing lights to warn oncoming traffic of speed traps.

May not be the flash you want but I just leave it up to police to do the light flashing.

If I see a police car hiding just inside a city limit, I will flash my lights for an oncoming. But yeah. I don't see much of this anymore.

Yes, you used to see it a lot, but not any more.

I don't subscribe to this practice because I feel that's aiding lawbreakers of which, when it comes to speeding, I'm guilty but if I'm caught I deserve whatever the penalty applied. If we're willing to take a chance then we should be willing to pay the price and I don't speed anywhere other then on interstates.

So are you saying you want someone to flash you on the interstate???

Just being silly and keeping my windmill alive

Flash my lights and be shot at by gang members? Oh My !!

http://www.snopes.com/crime/gangs/lightsout.asp

Ron

I flash on the highway. Not as much anymore in MA. but then again not nearly as many police these days.

You'll know soon enough when you look in your rear view mirror. It's at that point that you'll see all the Flashing Red and Blue Police Lights that you didn't want to see.

Nuvi1300WTGPS

I also used to flash, but I've grown tired of all the reckless speeders. Now if someone still wants to speed and they get caught, it's on them!

I used to warn other drivers by flashing my lights. That was 40 years ago. My feeling is that if they are speeding then they deserve the ticket.

Also, flashing your lights is against the law.It is interfering with the police and they will give you a ticket if they catch you, so why take the chance.

I always found that argument rather odd. There was a similar argument back in the 1970's during the CB heyday and people reporting "smokey's location" on channel 19. The complaint was the same; people are interfering with law enforcement trying to get people to slow down. Well isn't flashing your lights or telling people where the RADAR trap is GETTING THEM TO SLOW DOWN? Even if your report is false, don't they slow down?

I guess as always, it isn't about enforcement but the lost revenue.

I only flash my lights to warn another driver that they are driving without their lights on and they should be.

In the past I have heard people mention this along with something like an "illegal use of headlights" charge.

I do this also, and when I lived in the South Bay area in California they often figured out what I meant and fixed the problem. Here in Albuquerque they pretty much never notice.

I agree but it's too logical a result for anyone to think of. Besides nobody wants to DO anything, but rather leave that to the people with badges & guns.

I see this, occasionally, on Interstate highways, but I don't think I've ever seen it in the city. Maybe years ago, but I can't recall.

Drivers 'used' to do a lot of things for each other not only because they were required to in some cases (turn signals) but out of simple courtesy.

Flash to warn of a speed trap ahead

Move to the left one lane (if available) when someone was trying to turn onto the road from a side street.

Use turn signals (even in parking lots). Speaking of which, what ever happened to ceding a parking space when someone was waiting for another motorist to pull out and had their signal blinking to indicate they were waiting for the space?

Letting another driver know they have a tail/brake light out (a simple thing at a stop light).

Turning on headlights anytime the windshield wipers are operating so other drivers can see you.

Driving in a lane appropriate for your speed on the freeway rather than scooting left and blocking other faster traffic.

There are more I'm sure. Just things that were once done without even thinking about it but now too many motorists don't 'drive'. The car is just an extension of their living room (with a better sound system).

Cheers

until it turns out that one of the cars I flashed was a cop. He promptly turned around and pulled me over. No ticket, but I don't flash anyone anymore

Don't see it much in the NJ-Va corridor, possibly due to fear of ticketing. Now with speed limits up to 70 in VA on some roads, you get there faster and legally (especially keeping within 8 mph of the limit).

I hope this was an attempt at humor because you missed the big honkin' "FALSE" finding on Snopes about this.

BTW, In Mass, doing this is actually "interfering with the police in performance of their duties" and a violation.

As an aside, a reminder, the idiot that is speeding so much as to warrant your warning is the same idiot who doesn't care about YOUR safety and as such, you should let them get nabbed.

I appreciate Aardvarks logic

the road. It's a new world we live in...ain't technology grand

It use to be to flash your light if someone had them on High, but with the new light now you can't tell if they are on high or low. Also once said about gangs driving without light and using that to get iniiated into the gang. Read the snoop that was posted above good thing to know and no need to take a chance.

That's snopes and it's false.

If they are speeding, then let them get a ticket. Too many crazy drivers on the road today. I tend to mine my own business.

In NY it’s illegal to flash your brights. It’s called unnecessary use of high beams.

good for you Citizen Garylap!

are from NJ and NY...must be the wide open spaces zap your heads

On the interstate it's done by me when a truck passes me to let them know that it's safe to pull over. They usually flash their tail or directional signals to say thank you.

How many are old enough or have been taught how to signal with your light?

I don't remember them all, but I do know of 4 -

1 flash - OK or acknowledge
2 flashes - yes
3 flashes - danger ahead or emergency
5 flashes (double yes and 1 flash) - police

I know there were others, but those were the ones I grew up with. I'll lay odds most people never knew there is a code or the meaning of the various signals that passed between motorists long before there were CBs, cell phones or radar and radar detectors.

These codes developed back when most highways were 2 lane. When you wanted to pass someone, you pulled close and flashed your lights twice. When the road was clear with enough room to pass the lead driver would blink their lights once so you knew it was clear. When you completed the maneuver you tapped your brake pedal twice to tell the other driver "Thanks."

If you were behind someone and flashed your lights 3 times, it meant you had an emergency and they should let you by. If someone was coming and you flashed your lights 3 times, they knew there was danger ahead and would prepare to stop if necessary. A double yes followed by a single flash meant the police were watching the highway so be prepared. The CB craze of the mid 70's pretty much did away with the signals as why bother when you could, more often than not, speak to the other driver.

not anymore! Too many crazies on the road.

Yes I do flash to warn people and appreciate others flashing to warn me.

Truckers do it all the time to warn other truckers.

A lot of people dont flash their lights anymore because they're reporting the speed trap or enforcement or whatever it is on Trapster. You can use your GPS to log the location and it instantly goes out to other Trapster users. I think the app is free to download on your phone. I update my GPS 2x/wk since I dont have a data plan on my cell phone.

Illegal to spit on the sidewalk...ya' see a lot of tickets for that? I think people need to start lookin' out for one another again, cuz' there ain't nobody else out there watch'in our butts. Leave it up to the lawmakers and they will have a law against everything, just remember that the laws they make normally don't apply to them.

in parts of upstate NY especially on the Taconic parkway. I haven't done it myself but I'm always flashing my headlights to those who don't turn them on. Apparently, I guess there's some sort of a fad to use the "parking" lights (amber lights such as the turn signal ones). Speed trap POI is mostly in use as well.

It certainly is in Maryland. Some years ago (about 15) I received a ticket for flashing my light at a slowpoke driving in the left lane of a four lane highway. He was going slower than the folks in the right lane. A county policeman saw me and gave me a ticket. One of the few I've ever had...

Instead of the high beams I'll usually just turn the lights headlights "On" if "Off" or vice versa. This way I do not blind anyone accidentally.

No flashing. Let em' (speeders) get caught.

Just a note: I've had a highway patrolman in another state "flash" me as we passed each other in opposite directions (I was going over the limit and he just let me know to slow it down...which I thought was decent of him.

They may slow down when seeing the flashing headlights, but they speed up again when they think the coast is clear. Hitting them in the pocketbook is the best way of slowing speeders down.

I used to practice this custom (flashing h-beams to warn of patrol) in Europe and I appreciated very much others doing same to warn me

However here in US I have NEVER seen this to be done by anybody (meaning to warn about police patrol/radar), so I don't do it either. I'm also pretty sure people doing so can be ticketed if cops around here notice.

but then there is so many OTHER uses of h-beams especially on highways (around the globe) that this practice described here could be easily mistaken.

Examples:
a) I use to flash slow drivers (traffic blockers) in front of me several times when they slow down me and everybody behind me (applies to left lane usually). meaning of such flashes is simply "speed up or get the f**k out of this lane".

b) in Germany where they have mostly highways (Autobahns) with no speed limits, it's customary for cars travelling at high speeds (think of sports cars) to flash cars in front them from far distance to let them know they will be approaching soon. meaning is simple, if you are on same lane then switch it to the right or if you are on the right don't DARE to block the left one until high speed car passes. of course this one do not applies to ANY of US highways with max 75mph legal limit... but some "unsafe drivers" racing at 120mph do that either way even around here.

c) people flash at other folks who forgot to turn their lights on at night (common in city driving after dusk)

d) people flash at others who use BAD lights alignment blinding opposite traffic.

In my area, you are more likely getting a ticket by flashing light than warm other people.

Also, I have found out recently, due to the budget cut, police departments are just leaving an empty police car on the side of the road. They may come back to move the cars to another locations when shift changes. So, flashing the light does not have any meaning anymore.

In NY state it is illegal, "obstructing law enforcement". Agreed, I don't see it done very often any longer. Maybe everyone is too busy speeding to be bothered.

I still flash the lights if I spot a speed trap in some of these small towns.

Unlike the U.S. where it is honored more in the breach than the practice, drivers are required to keep right on the Autobahn. The left lane is for passing vehicles.

Some communities in OH will ticket you for this. It will usually be posted at the DMV office if a municipality will ticket one for this infraction. Not sure why; The only time I flash is to let truckers know that it is safe to cut in front of me when they are signaling, or when someone is going too slow in front of me and I want to pass them, when a truck is to my right.

It also works well at 4-way stops to let another motorist know that they can go when you yield the right of way to them.