Was I Wrong? Driving with hazard lights on

[newnameman]

n/m

 

[spidey07]

didn't read thread but anyone who drives with their hazards on is a worthless douche. i'm so fucking sick of idiots believing they can do whatever the hell they want as long as they have some blinky lights. if you feel you need hazards to indicate something to other drivers (other than 'i'm broken down'), you probably shouldn't be on the road.

Bullcrap. It's a safety measure to drive with your hazards on in low visibility. It's to make sure you see me and I see you. If you don't drive in low vis without them on you are an idiot and unsafe driver and most likely shouldn't be driving.

 

[Cal166]

QFT...no way to tell if you are about to brake or just flashing away.

If you fail driving get off the road.

Low beams also only in the rain...don't know why so many think high beams are the way to go.

Can't you tell if I am about to break when I do hit the brakes? The brake lights will light up Brighter right?

Yellow/Orange gives better visibility in rain/fog. Was there a reason why the old Lexus IS had their fog lights in yellow?

 

[Brainonska511]

Bullcrap. It's a safety measure to drive with your hazards on in low visibility. It's to make sure you see me and I see you. If you don't drive in low vis without them on you are an idiot and unsafe driver and most likely shouldn't be driving.

You need to lay off the sweeping generalizations of people.

In low visibility conditions, you should be driving with your headlights on. From all I can see in the NYS driving manual, there is nothing about turning on hazard lights in low visibility conditions, and the only mention of them is about experiencing an emergency in which your car becomes disabled.

 

[SpatiallyAware]

Bullcrap. It's a safety measure to drive with your hazards on in low visibility. It's to make sure you see me and I see you. If you don't drive in low vis without them on you are an idiot and unsafe driver and most likely shouldn't be driving.

I completely disagree.

Hazards indicate a problem with your vehicle, not that you don't feel safe to be on the road.


If it's raining so hard that you can't see people in front of you (thus necessitating turning on your hazards) then you've made it clear that conditions are not safe enough for you be on the road.

In other words, get off the road and wait it out until conditions are good enough for you to see.

 

[dainthomas]

I completely disagree.

Hazards indicate a problem with your vehicle, not that you don't feel safe to be on the road.


If it's raining so hard that you can't see people in front of you (thus necessitating turning on your hazards) then you've made it clear that conditions are not safe enough for you be on the road.

In other words, get off the road and wait it out until conditions are good enough for you to see.

Nice try. Has the law or common sense ever won an argument on ATOT?

 

[chusteczka]

Hazard lights indicate a hazard, whether moving or stopped.

Weather is questionable if it is a hazard or not but a car slowed for weather conditions is a hazard. Other slow moving vehicles like a farm tractor are a hazard.

A vehicle stopped on the side of the road is not necessarily a hazard if it is out of the traffic flow. A vehicle parked where it should not be is only a hazard if it impedes the flow of traffic around it.

I think the OP's use of the hazard lights was warranted and exactly as I would have used them.

 

[alkemyst]

Many roads have posted MINIMUM speeds and if you can't drive those you should pullover or exit immediately. Driving slower, esp much slower than traffic is probably the most dangerous thing to do. Many drivers have a hard time judging stopped and slowed traffic (hence our third brake light laws).

 

[Possessed Freak]

Damn, I need to take a snapshot of the roadsign that says to use flashers below a certain speed on the highway.

I *absolutely* use my hazard lights when I come to slow moving traffic on the expressway due to an accident or whatnot. I care not for legality, I will continue to do what I can to keep from getting rear-ended by getting the driver's attention.

 

[Brainonska511]

Many roads have posted MINIMUM speeds and if you can't drive those you should pullover or exit immediately. Driving slower, esp much slower than traffic is probably the most dangerous thing to do. Many drivers have a hard time judging stopped and slowed traffic (hence our third brake light laws).

Those posted speeds are for good conditions. If it's bad weather, the maximum safe speed could be lower than the posted minimum speed.

The only time I could see putting hazards on while driving is if you're going slower than the speed of traffic or your vehicle becomes disabled - such as the person who used the spare tire example - you're going to drive slower [than traffic flow] in the right lane with hazards. Weather, everyone can see the conditions and knows to slow down.

 

[chusteczka]

Damn, I need to take a snapshot of the roadsign that says to use flashers below a certain speed on the highway.

A search for "flashers" on Google Image did not return what I was just expecting. 😛

 

[zinfamous]

I think it's fine in the right lane

 

[thescreensavers]

idk about driving with them, only time I used them on the move was when I thought a cop was pulling me over, like showing I was complying with him, but then he just passed me fucker...

and

When there was an accident that just happened in my lane about 1/8 of a mile down the road on the highway, when I saw it was an accident I put them on, for the peeps behind me and told them to put them on there car, then when I passed him I turned them off.

 

[MJinZ]

You have obviously never been in a rainstorm where the force of the rain was so fierce that it blocked out tail lights on vehicles in front of you and headlights from vehicles behind you. During the daytime hours in rainstorms very severe, it's near impossible to see any normal lights easily. Hazards are brighter and provide a constant movement, thus are easier to spot / more visible.

That's bullShiat.

The "hazard" lights are just the turn signal lights, which are always WEAK and pathetic, compared to the brake lights and parking lights. If you get someone (those new fucking cars like the Fusion and Camry) with RED turn signal lights, you can forget about seeing them even in normal weather conditions.

 

[meltdown75]

didn't read the OP or any replies. i don't even know what this thread is about.

yes, you were wrong.

 

[DougK62]

Bullcrap. It's a safety measure to drive with your hazards on in low visibility. It's to make sure you see me and I see you. If you don't drive in low vis without them on you are an idiot and unsafe driver and most likely shouldn't be driving.

OK then, hotshot. Where are links supporting your side? Plenty of links have been posted from various sources showing why you should NOT use your hazards while driving...put up or shut up?

 

[spidey07]

That's bullShiat.

The "hazard" lights are just the turn signal lights, which are always WEAK and pathetic, compared to the brake lights and parking lights. If you get someone (those new fucking cars like the Fusion and Camry) with RED turn signal lights, you can forget about seeing them even in normal weather conditions.

Negative. Hazard lights have been proven to be visible over 2 times farther than brake/tail lights. That could mean the difference between a huge pile up and a non-event. Use your hazard lights so people can see you.

 

[MJinZ]

I'll take what NTSB and NHTSA says over a scum sucking lawyer anyday.

Good thing no one actually takes your word for even shit nowadays.

If you drive with your hazard lights on, I will assume you are having a problem with your car, or are part of a funeral procession.

I won't have a problem with you unless it's a one lane road and I can't pass you. Then, you'd be hearing my horn behind you for as long as you continue to drive.

 

[rh71]

come on, it's not like malfunctioning white reverse lights when a vehicle is actually moving forward... if you are close enough and see blinking lights and think the vehicle might be stopped, what's the big deal when you get up to it and realize it's moving? Law or not, I don't see why it's a hazard. Slow-moving vehicles are hazards too. All it's really saying is watch out for him moreso than a guy without lights on. What's the big deal?

You guys make it out to be worse than guys with misaligned low beams that blind you (my biggest peeve).

 

[MJinZ]

Negative. Hazard lights have been proven to be visible over 2 times farther than brake/tail lights. That could mean the difference between a huge pile up and a non-event. Use your hazard lights so people can see you.

Put up or the shut the fuck up as the lady above already said.

 

[Blackjack200]

lol at all the people that say to pull over and wait out the storm. yeah, let me just pull over onto the shoulder and get creamed by a semi who's doing 50 MPH and trying to deal with limited visability and limited control due to the weather.

Do your best to keep up with trafffic and use the hazards if you need to.

 

[spidey07]

OK then, hotshot. Where are links supporting your side? Plenty of links have been posted from various sources showing why you should NOT use your hazards while driving...put up or shut up?

Just google ntsb and hazard lights. You will see investigation after investigation where it was vehicles using their hazard lights that stopped the accident/pile up from getting even worse. Think safety people, put on your hazards if visibility is low.

www.ntsb.gov/Recs/letters/1995/H95_50.pdf

The increased luminance of hazard flashers
increases visibility about 50 percent over taillight use alone

 

[Murloc]

here in switzerland it's forbidden to use them if it's not an emergency.
I guess that if it was that bad you should have stopped and waited for the rain to end (if it rains that bad it doesn't last so much I guess)
Some people use them when they stop on the side of the road to carry something, but that's illegal.

 

[LTC8K6]

lol at all the people that say to pull over and wait out the storm. yeah, let me just pull over onto the shoulder and get creamed by a semi who's doing 50 MPH and trying to deal with limited visability and limited control due to the weather.

Do your best to keep up with trafffic and use the hazards if you need to.

Exactly! No way am I pulling over. Someone going way too fast for conditions will undoubtedly cream me, hazard lights and all.

Cop cars with all lights ablaze get creamed.

Not pulling over under a bridge, either.

I am only pulling over if the car won't go anymore.

 

[MJinZ]

Just google ntsb and hazard lights. You will see investigation after investigation where it was vehicles using their hazard lights that stopped the accident/pile up from getting even worse. Think safety people, put on your hazards if visibility is low.

www.ntsb.gov/Recs/letters/1995/H95_50.pdf

That study is 15 years old. I remember old cars - their tail lights do suck. But find a car TODAY that has brighter turn signal lights and than their Brake lights or even parking lights. You WON'T. Red Brake Lights > Flashing yellow or red signal lights. Every time.