Why do you flash me?

[minerva]

That is why I post on here. There is always a fascinating insight by someone that I often just didn't consider. Thank you for that and I like to think that he was being considerate. I think that will make me a happier person!!

[Triumph Man]

I had this last night, stressful busy day, and I got stuck behind some bint a 64 plate Volvo who pretty much stopped every time something came the other way. If you don't like driving at night, don't drive. If you can't handle a large car, buy a smaller one!

[Triumph Man]

regprentice said:

Unlikely but his car could have had a problem and the flash was a 'thank you for being uderstanding'?. I recall having to drive a mk1 fiesta to safety using the choke as a throttle after the accelerator cable snapped. Maybe his dpf put him in limp home mode?

On the general topic of 'flashing' when learning to drive my father convinced me that a car driving towards you who flashes you is warning you about a hidden speed trap up ahead. Clearly not true but resulted in me driving in a way that would have looked quite erratic To anyone else.

Doesn't explain the stopping for oncoming traffic, and if I had a problem I would endeavour to pull over rather than be a selfish tt about it.

[John D.]

swisstoni said:

bennyboysvuk said:

Some people are better drivers than others. The driver you encountered might have been an aggressive 70 year old with failing eyesight. By his standards, you were completely reckless by driving at that speed when visibility was so poor.

However, your eyes work properly and you're better able to make progress at night. Ergo, you go for the overtake and the myopic, aggressive 70 year old takes it personally, only now he has a target to follow.

I think this is very likely what happened. The extreme slowing down when faced with oncoming headlights is the main giveaway to bad eyesight.

I see this very regularly. Always assumed it was a nervous driver who was looking at the oncoming car too much, getting blinded and panicking.

[Dave Hedgehog]

bennyboysvuk said:

Some people are better drivers than others. The driver you encountered might have been an aggressive 70 year old with failing eyesight. By his standards, you were completely reckless by driving at that speed when visibility was so poor.

However, your eyes work properly and you're better able to make progress at night. Ergo, you go for the overtake and the myopic, aggressive 70 year old takes it personally, only now he has a target to follow.

You see this quite frequently, the old whose eyes are so bad they can barely see at night, had one last week doing 15mph in a 30 but speed up to 30 when there was street lighting but back down to 15 when it ended ...

[g3org3y]

Pints said:

While travelling at 40 in a 40 zone a couple of evenings ago, an RS6 came barrelling up behind me. After sitting a couple of feet from my bumper he overtook and disappeared into the darkness.
I didn't flash my lights.

Despite the fact he obviously jumped the queue and emasculated you through his outrageous and dangerous manoeuvre?

[JakeT]

I'll only ever flash someone if I know you, am letting you out or you haven't got your lights on/full beam is still on. People get upset when you overtake them, because they're small minded buffoons. The worst people though are the brake check people. That genuinely kills. Move over and let them get on with it.

[Pints]

g3org3y said:

Pints said:

While travelling at 40 in a 40 zone a couple of evenings ago, an RS6 came barrelling up behind me. After sitting a couple of feet from my bumper he overtook and disappeared into the darkness.
I didn't flash my lights.

Despite the fact he obviously jumped the queue and emasculated you through his outrageous and dangerous manoeuvre?

Not at all! I can only assume he saw the PH sticker on the back of my car and thought: "here's a fellow motorist who will appreciate the progress I'm trying to make and the benefits of an enthusiastic overtake".
He was right.

Besides, I'm not about to do something stupid like position myself in the road so that he can't overtake safely, or give him high beams for leaving me (with wife and kids on board) to continue safely on our own journey.

[Tonsko]

I guess the only real reason for stopping to allow someone past on the other side is if the road is narrow and you've reached a passing place on your side.

[otolith]

Because the other driver is a dick.

[Greg_D]

I think these people genuinely think you are pushing in. They joined 'the line' before you and so consider you a queue jumper if you overtake - they are genuinely unaware of the low standard of their own driving or your motivation for going past...

[omgus]

Greg_D said:

I think these people genuinely think you are pushing in. They joined 'the line' before you and so consider you a queue jumper if you overtake - they are genuinely unaware of the low standard of their own driving or your motivation for going past...

When i was much younger i was collared at a petrol station by someone i had passed a few minutes earlier on a local b-road, he had pulled in to tell me that i shouldn't be overtaking people and that he had been going plenty fast enough when i "shot past". He said if it had been an emergency he would have understood but as he now found me buying fags i should just of waited my turn.

When i told him i didn't care about getting there ahead of him but i had just wanted to have a bit of fun on the road with no traffic ahead he couldn't grasp that driving was anything other than a means of getting from a to b.
The final line from him was the ever present, "you won't get there any faster driving like that"

Yes, yes i fking will. Because if you travel from the same fking place to any-fking-where else in the fking universe using the same fking route then if you go fking faster you will get there fking faster! That is how fking speed works. Otherwise we wouldn't use cars we'd still fking ride horses!

[Stenn]

Because you skipped the queue, obviously.

[LordHaveMurci]

Have had this happen a few times over the years, I find that turning my rear fog lights on normally encourages them to dip their lights. I must confess in my younger days resorting to coming to a dead stop in front of them (safely), didn't get out of the car but just drove off after making a point.

Sadly most (bad) drivers judge everybody by their own extremely low level of ability.

[LeoZwalf]

omgus said:

minerva said:

He genuinely stopped as other cars, coming the other way, went past. My wife looked up to see what I had stopped for and even she thought it dangerous. I was given permission to overtake by her before I did!

The only thing worse than being flashed and full beamed after an overtake is of course being flashed and full beamed after an unapproved overtake and dealing with the tutting from the pax seat.


My regular passenger will never give full approval, all i get is a little noise and then a quiet "go on then!".

Do I understand correctly that you guys are asking for permission to overtake?!

[T0MMY]

Getting flashed by the overtakee or by someone half a mile up the road is par for the course these days, just ignore it.

I overtook a caravan the other day and the driver immediately put his foot down as I pulled out. When I was in front and looked in my mirror, him and his charming wife were both giving me the finger and the universal wker sign. They caught me up again at a junction and came alongside as it was two lanes, at which point the guy started shouting at me to get out and have a fight with him on the roadside As appealing as that sounded I just didn't have the time to spare but I do wonder what his young kids in the back made of it all.

[omgus]

Only when i have a passenger who disapproves. And it's not really asking, it's waiting until you won't cop extra flack for it.

[Clivey]

I can understand the elderly being elderly but people who show aggression just because you've overtaken them need to be taught a lesson. Maybe a rear-mounted LED light bar that'll burn their eyeballs right out of their heads would do the trick.

[tonygt3]

Thankyou4calling said:

Did he really come to a complete stop as another car approached? That really is an accident waiting to happen, you can't survive long driving like that surely.

at night, there are so many here in Devon who brake when a car is coming the other way, yes and often to a complete stop.
I just put it down to the oldies who cannot see at night.

[hotchy]

T0MMY said:

Getting flashed by the overtakee or by someone half a mile up the road is par for the course these days, just ignore it.

I overtook a caravan the other day and the driver immediately put his foot down as I pulled out. When I was in front and looked in my mirror, him and his charming wife were both giving me the finger and the universal wker sign. They caught me up again at a junction and came alongside as it was two lanes, at which point the guy started shouting at me to get out and have a fight with him on the roadside As appealing as that sounded I just didn't have the time to spare but I do wonder what his young kids in the back made of it all.

If had that once, i actually got out, when he seen i was 6 ft 7 and well built he sharpishly drove away. If he did get out... maybe i would of drove away lol