Was I Wrong? Driving with hazard lights on

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Pegun

Pegun

Golden Member
Jan 18, 2004
1,334
0
71
You were in the right if I remember correctly from the driving manual. If it's too hazardous where you can't see anything, you should pull over but if you're still able to see a certain distance, hazards are the way to go
 
DrunkenSano

DrunkenSano

Diamond Member
Aug 8, 2008
3,892
490
126
Cal166 said:
Yea, That's where I figure it was ok to do it since most truckers has them on. As for the driving too slow, I was actually in the middle lane following a car or two behind to be safe from stopping short.
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I think it is different for trucks, it's the law for them to have them on if they're going 40mph or slower on highways? Not 100% sure but I think that is why truckers sometimes have them on.
 
N

nageov3t

Lifer
Feb 18, 2004
42,808
83
91
spidey07 said:
You are supposed to use your hazzard lights in low visibility conditions. You weren't in the wrong, you were being safe. National Highway Safety and Transportation Administration says so. It should be a law, and in some places it is.
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:thumbsup:
 
3chordcharlie

3chordcharlie

Diamond Member
Mar 30, 2004
9,859
1
81
bignateyk said:
I do get pissed at people who drive 30mph through heavy fog. That's probably what he was pissed at. It's more dangerous to drive under the speed limit through low visibility than it is to drive the speed limit because people who are driving the limit won't see you in time to avoid you if you are driving really slow.

My guess is he was pissed because you were driving so slow.
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Most (quite possibly all) jurisdictions include language regarding weather and/or road conditions WRT speed limits. Effectively, the speed limit sign has a line at the bottom that says 'under normal/ideal driving conditions'.

Low visibility, poor traction, etc can mean that the posted limit is an unsafe speed; in most cases, prevailing traffic speed would be the best available measure of this. One car driving at 20mph under the limit is acting in an unsafe manner, if everyone else demonstrates by their driving that they consider conditions fine. One car pushing forward at the limit while everyone around them has slowed down is probably the 'unsafe one'. This is a pretty low bar, considering that most people speed most of the time, and do not adequately consider conditions. So if the prevailing traffic speed was 30mph, conditions were likely pretty bad.

While you normally can't be ticketed for 'speeding' if you are under the limit, there can be situations where a careless driving charge applies even though you are driving at the posted limit.

I don't use hazards in a moving vehicle unless I am in heavy fog, and proceeding only far enough to find a safer place to pull off the road. I will occasionally put them on if there is some traffic condition in front of me that I think the car behind me can't see (since I'm often driving a truck and trailer that blocks their line of sight.

However, hazard lights indicate a hazard - something that you are going to overtake more quickly than 'normal'. It's why truckers use them on grades that are too steep for them to attain normal speed (most often when their on-ramp is followed immediately by an uphill section). It's hard to suggest that flashers @ 1/2 the speed limit are more dangerous than flashers @ stopped, since a car travelling at the limit will have twice the time before they pass the slower vehicle; it's not like they're driving backwards at you.
 
Demon-Xanth

Demon-Xanth

Lifer
Feb 15, 2000
20,551
2
81
spidey07 said:
You are supposed to use your hazzard lights in low visibility conditions. You weren't in the wrong, you were being safe. National Highway Safety and Transportation Administration says so. It should be a law, and in some places it is.
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That's funny, because in many states it is illegal.
 
3chordcharlie

3chordcharlie

Diamond Member
Mar 30, 2004
9,859
1
81
Demon-Xanth said:
That's funny, because in many states it is illegal.
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Every car should have a 4x4 foldout version of your avatar on it that can be deployed in poor conditions.

On second thought, given the way people drive, it should just be there all the time.
 
P

PsiStar

Golden Member
Dec 21, 2005
1,184
0
76
Does it make sense that there are enough responders here voting "no" to driving with them on, that it suggests that this is clearly a issue of confusion? Ergo, not a good thing on the highway where predictability and an indication of your situation is most important.

And, if your hazards are on, how to you indicate lane changes?:\You should be off the road before you use them ... unless you have lost power for some reason & are coasting off.

I only use mine when I am a hazard. Such as off to the side of the road and stopped. Especially if the road side does allow for several feet between my vehicle & the nearest lane of traffic.
 
LTC8K6

LTC8K6

Lifer
Mar 10, 2004
28,520
1,576
126
Hazard lights are correct for a slow moving vehicle. All slow moving vehicles use them. Even funeral processions use them.

If you park, someone is going to slam into you. Much better to slow down, stay right, and use your hazards.

I was in heavy rain on I-40 not long ago. Tail lights were all but invisible, but the flashing yellow lights were easy to see.
 
S

spidey07

No Lifer
Aug 4, 2000
65,469
5
76
PsiStar said:
Does it make sense that there are enough responders here voting "no" to driving with them on, that it suggests that this is clearly a issue of confusion? Ergo, not a good thing on the highway where predictability and an indication of your situation is most important.

And, if your hazards are on, how to you indicate lane changes?:\You should be off the road before you use them ... unless you have lost power for some reason & are coasting off.

I only use mine when I am a hazard. Such as off to the side of the road and stopped. Especially if the road side does allow for several feet between my vehicle & the nearest lane of traffic.
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People saying no are unsafe drivers and stupid. Low visibility and traveling under the speed limit is a HAZARD. Therefore one should use their HAZARD lights.

In a HAZARDOUS condition you really shouldn't be changing lanes anyway so that argument is unsafe and stupid.
 
rh71

rh71

No Lifer
Aug 28, 2001
52,844
1,049
126
you're fine using them, it basically tells others that you are being overly cautious and in bad weather there's nothing wrong with that. It's like a "baby on board" sign... you know what to expect of the driver so if you want to blow past them feel free. I don't know why people give the finger on the road... would they do it walking by them, not encased in a steel frame? No... fucking pussies. People who honk because they're pissed also annoy me for the same reason. And I'm an aggressive driver myself.
 
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LTC8K6

LTC8K6

Lifer
Mar 10, 2004
28,520
1,576
126
What would you do if you had a temporary spare on and could only do 50mph?

In the daytime, your tail lights aren't going to be on.

You should be in the right lane, hazards on, doing 50...

Or maybe your car is crippled and will only do 45mph? Are you goign to park, or drive home?

I'm driving home, or to help, in the right lane with my hazards on.
 
alkemyst

alkemyst

No Lifer
Feb 13, 2001
83,769
19
81
DougK62 said:
You shouldn't turn them on if you're moving - especially on a highway. You should have pulled off and stopped if you were going to use your hazards. It's dangerous.
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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.
 
fleshconsumed

fleshconsumed

Diamond Member
Feb 21, 2002
6,486
2,363
136
Don't know where it is lawful and where it is not, but it makes sense for me to use them under extraordinary circumstances. I've driven in storms that were so bad you could barely see 60 feet in front of you. Generally you slow down to way below speed limit, but even so hazards help others see you, and it was always my impression that it is the right thing to do in extremely heavy rain or fog.
 
D1gger

D1gger

Diamond Member
Oct 3, 2004
5,411
2
76
Can I use my hazard safety lights during a rain storm?

No, it's not safe and it's not legal. You should put your headlights on during a rainstorm. In fact it's the law. Hazard lights indicate a disabled vehicle (ie; not moving). Some hazard lights are on top of the break lights so if they are on while you are moving, the person behind you may not realize that you have applied your breaks. If things are so bad that you can not drive, pull over and then put on your hazards. But don't drive with them on.
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http://www.trafficticketteam.com/newsletter.html

It appears from several links that driving with hazards on is not the correct thing to do and may in fact be illegal.
 
lokiju

lokiju

Lifer
May 29, 2003
18,526
5
0
Never drive with your damn hazards on unless there's an issue with your car and you're only trying to get to where you need to get to address that issue.

People that do this drive me f'ing nuts.
 
brblx

brblx

Diamond Member
Mar 23, 2009
5,499
2
0
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.
 
Ruptga

Ruptga

Lifer
Aug 3, 2006
10,246
207
106
HannibalX said:
What kills me is people who refuse to use their lights in the rain. It's the law in Florida but people ignore it.
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When I'm old, rich, and slightly senile I am going to buy a beater so I can rear-end people like that and drive them straight into the ditch. I'll also park exactly in the middle of parking spaces and slam my door into cars parked on or over the line.
 
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