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Do you flash other drivers?

Sulaco

Sulaco

Diamond Member
Ok, provocative title out of the way...😛

So do you flash your high beams quickly at other drivers to warn of a speed trap or cop laying in waiting up ahead?

And do you encounter other drivers who do it?

Perhaps I'm unique in this, but I occasionally do. When I was first learning to drive, it was something my dad taught me, and I do it every so often. Call it driver Karma, but I do.

Basically, if I pass a cop sitting in an obvious speed trap, watching the oncoming traffic, when I get far enough beyond him, I usually fire off 3, quick high beam flashes (C-O-P) to a group of cars heading his way.

I've had it done a handful of times for me, and I've always appreciated it (not that I'm speeding.....very much, mind you 😉), but I'm curious how many drivers now would even make the connection, vs. just thinking: 'What's that guy's problem?"
 
no because it's punishable with a fine.
Other drivers sometimes do it, but usually radars are on the highway anyway so they can't.
Also they have these weird devices that don't even flash at night (probably IR), you just see a trash container that suddendly has a red dot of light on it and you're screwed. Oncoming traffic often doesn't even see it so they can't warn you.
Fixed boxes are in fixed positions so everybody knows about them, no need to warn, no one does it for those.
Basically it comes down to manned mobile police traps, which are rare enough. Some people will flash you if they see those.

Anyway I don't see why they have to drive over the limit, it's not difficult to stay under since there is like 5 km/h of tolerance + the tolerance of the car speed measurer.
It's good they're getting a fine since that's money flowing into the state budget. So it's a net gain for me (because that money goes back to me in services), they're paying bonus "taxes" in exchange of their trip taking a few minutes less. Their choice.
 
ive actually JUST encountered one person who did flash me, we were in Indiana at the time. Gave me a good heads up.

I know to do it but i've kinda just dont anymore because no one else does it. Its harder to do around IL because we have those medians blocking the view of on coming traffic most of the time.
 
I will do it when I see a driver going fast in the opposite direction within about a mile of the LEO.

Courts have also rules that it can be considered to be free speech.
 
I do when possible, but most of the roads here are split in a manor that I cop can't sit in the middle of the highway.
 
I'll flash for the following:

* Someone doesn't have their lights on at night

* If it is bright enough out where my lights won't blind someone, I'll flash for a speed trap

* If it is bright enough out where my lights won't blind someone, If I am on the interstate and someone is sitting in the left lane doing the speed limit or slower, I'll creep up on them... if that doesn't work usually flash the lights 2/3 times quickly as to say, "MOVE OVER !!"
 
Yes, I'll flash for a number of reasons...
...to warn about speed traps
...to tell them their lights are off
...to warn them that there's a hazard in/near the road ahead

Most recently, I flashed some drivers because there was a goose and 5 or 6 goslings wandering around in and on the side of the road.
 
I do it all the time. It's free speech. I also do it when someone hasn't turned off their brights at night and they are coming at me on the highway.

If there is a hazard on the road it's better to flash your hazard lights imo. That's unmistakable for the other driver.
 
Murloc said:
no because it's punishable with a fine. ....
Click to expand...


It's legal in Florida and I do it often.

The purpose of giving speeding tickets is encourage drivers to go along at the legal limit - warning someone of a speed trap by flashing your head lights does just that.

If a jurisdiction is using traffic tickets to generate income then they are the ones that should be locked up.
 
seepy83 said:
Yes, I'll flash for a number of reasons...
...to warn about speed traps
...to tell them their lights are off
...to warn them that there's a hazard in/near the road ahead

Most recently, I flashed some drivers because there was a goose and 5 or 6 goslings wandering around in and on the side of the road.
Click to expand...

This. Basically I am saying "turn on your lights" or "you'll really want to slow down."
 
In the car I don't typically do this but on the bike if I see another rider going the other way and I just passed a cop sitting on the side of the road I'll tap my hand on the top of my helmet.
 
occasionally i flash to warn of cops.

when i see another m3

and also when i'm bombing the left lane well in excess of the posted signage.
 
Usually only to remind them that they left their brights on and are blinding people. I think some are just absent-minded and don't pay attention to their dashboards and that blue high beam indicator, but there are a lot of self-centered idiots also.

*edit* I guess I use them sometimes also to signal large vehicles that are trying to merge in heavy traffic that I'm giving them room (semis for example)
 
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only time i flash my lights is to say go ahead and turn.. i'll wait for you...
i don't flash people with their lights off as there's been violence related to that in the past.. (a long time ago)
 
Flashing your headlights is a very 20th century solution.

We have smartphone apps now, like Waze, where you can crowd-source traffic enforcement data.

True story: just yesterday (6/13) around 10:30PM, Waze notified me of an upcoming speed trap about 1/4 mile before my radar detector did. It gave me more time to slow down than if I was just using radar detection alone.

Crowd-sourcing traffic enforcement data via GPS-enabled smartphones is the biggest new tool for drivers since radar detectors first came out. The best thing about Waze is that it's free, backed by Google, and already has millions of users providing up-to-the-minute data (including myself).
 
I know in my state, it's illegal to use brights to signal AT ALL within 400 feet.

That said...can you use hand signals I wonder? Best warning I ever got: climbing to top of hill, probably speeding a little. Pedestrian walking down hill on my side of road starts jumping up and down. First thought "hey look, another crazy person!" Second thought "wait, maybe it's a warning...[slam on breaks, crest hill, see cop.]" Thanks, not crazy person 🙂
 
I don't do it to warn people of speed traps. I do it to make people think there's a speed trap so they slow the fuck down and look for a speed trap that doesn't exist. Ha fucking ha.
 
Not for cops, sometimes for other things. Plenty of people around here still do flash to warn of cops though.
 
I've had people save me when they did it. So I do it for other people. The cops in my area are terrible, if you speed they give you a ticket, even if your only going 5 mph over in an area that is safe to do so.
 
single flash you can usually get away with. Most people get the point. You can always say you just bumped it 😛
 
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