Flashing Matters

[Glassman]

Flashing Headlights.

I'd never really given this much thought until high powered LED headlamps started to become more common. 'Thanks for giving me way; have a few seconds of arc eye for your efforts'. I tend to just raise my hand or, if it's dark, one blink of my hazard lights does the trick. Watching The Chase a couple of weeks ago a question came up on motoring offences, something along the lines of which one of these is illegal: driving barefoot; eating whilst driving and flashing your headlights?

I'm on the road every day the overwhelming majority of drivers flash their headlights, mostly to acknowledge giving way, or to prompt you to go ahead. What exactly is illegal about flashing headlights?

Legal & Safety Considerations:

- Legally permitted use: Only to alert others to your presence (Highway Code Rule 110).

- Risks of misuse: Flashing to "invite" someone to go can cause them to step out without checking for other traffic, leading to
collisions.

- Potential penalties: Warning others about speed cameras (instead of just your presence) might lead to fines.

I'm not too bothered about what is legal or not, but I don't really like a full beam face on from someone who doesn't realise what it's doing to you (cars parked towards you on the near-side with headlights on are just as bad). If the legalities of when and when not to flash were clearer, and drivers took heed of those guidelines, it might help? [Rhetorical question]

Other than car parks behind Jack Straw's Castle, what exactly is alerting someone of your presence, then?

[mmm-five]

If someone doesn't dip their headlights on a dark road, I simply trigger my 'night sun' strobe mode at them to give them some payback (I don't really, as I can never remember how many clicks I have to do to get into strobe mode)

I don't flash anyone to give them presumed priority, but then I don't use the flash to say I'm here either as some will take that as me ceding priority.

Probably only really use high beam now when I'm driving in the dark, but I have high beam assistant, so shouldn't be blinding anyone, and when someone cuts me up

Edited by mmm-five on Saturday 17th January 12:34

[uktrailmonster]

Can’t say it’s ever bothered me.

[Harry Rule]

Glassman said:

Other than car parks behind Jack Straw's Castle, what exactly is alerting someone of your presence, then?

I'd suggest that could be approaching someone who's dawdling on the outside lane of a dual carriageway.

A single light flash for a second or so to alert them of your approach and give them a chance to move over assuming there's a proper gap for them to move into, if they don't react then the same again as you arrive behind them, obviously maintaining a safe distance.

Before anyone jumps on me, what I'm not suggesting is firing up to an inch off their rear bumper with the lights held on full beam for an extended period, or flashing them on and off repeatedly.

It also wouldn't apply if they were overtaking traffic on the nearside.

[Michael_B]

Here in continental Europe flashing headlights often means « I m coming through, get out the fscking way » in contrast to the British notion of giving way. Can give rise to some interesting situations when UK/GB[1] plated vehicles are involved

[1] I still do a double-take when I see UK stickers on Swiss/French roads. When they first appeared I convinced Mrs B they were Ukrainian

[Purosangue]

IT certainly does

[fflump]

Harry Rule said:

Glassman said:

Other than car parks behind Jack Straw's Castle, what exactly is alerting someone of your presence, then?

I'd suggest that could be approaching someone who's dawdling on the outside lane of a dual carriageway.

A single light flash for a second or so to alert them of your approach and give them a chance to move over assuming there's a proper gap for them to move into, if they don't react then the same again as you arrive behind them, obviously maintaining a safe distance.

Before anyone jumps on me, what I'm not suggesting is firing up to an inch off their rear bumper with the lights held on full beam for an extended period, or flashing them on and off repeatedly.

It also wouldn't apply if they were overtaking traffic on the nearside.

On a motorway I use a brief flash at a safe distance to alert someone sat in the middle lane as to my presence and therefore they should move over. If they don’t I’ll just overtake in L3 if safe to do so. This seems consistent with the Highway Code.

In other settings I admit to not adhering to it by using a flash to indicate to the oncoming car that I am conceding priority like on a narrow lane when I am near a passing place or equivalent urban settings where there is double parking etc.

In my experience most people also use flashes in this context and while not strictly correct doesn’t really impact on safety

[Weekendrebuild]

Always flash to let people know
Of mobile camera units !

[Unreal]

fflump said:

Harry Rule said:

Glassman said:

Other than car parks behind Jack Straw's Castle, what exactly is alerting someone of your presence, then?

I'd suggest that could be approaching someone who's dawdling on the outside lane of a dual carriageway.

A single light flash for a second or so to alert them of your approach and give them a chance to move over assuming there's a proper gap for them to move into, if they don't react then the same again as you arrive behind them, obviously maintaining a safe distance.

Before anyone jumps on me, what I'm not suggesting is firing up to an inch off their rear bumper with the lights held on full beam for an extended period, or flashing them on and off repeatedly.

It also wouldn't apply if they were overtaking traffic on the nearside.

On a motorway I use a brief flash at a safe distance to alert someone sat in the middle lane as to my presence and therefore they should move over. If they don t I ll just overtake in L3 if safe to do so. This seems consistent with the Highway Code.

In other settings I admit to not adhering to it by using a flash to indicate to the oncoming car that I am conceding priority like on a narrow lane when I am near a passing place or equivalent urban settings where there is double parking etc.

In my experience most people also use flashes in this context and while not strictly correct doesn t really impact on safety

It aids traffic flow. Sitting there doing nothing confuses people. Waving people out with hand gestures doesn't always work due to reflections on the screen.

You still need your wits about you,, especially if you respond to a flash, such as pulling out into traffic but in my experience it's used sensibly and helpfully in the overwhelming majority of cases.

[catso]

Michael_B said:

Here in continental Europe flashing headlights often means « I m coming through, get out the fscking way » in contrast to the British notion of giving way. Can give rise to some interesting situations when UK/GB[1] plated vehicles are involved

[1] I still do a double-take when I see UK stickers on Swiss/French roads. When they first appeared I convinced Mrs B they were Ukrainian

Indeed, I learnt to drive in Italy and flashing there definitely doesn't mean you're letting someone through.

Normally used in conjunction with a constantly running indicator in the 'fast lane' of the Autostrada to mean get out of my fooking way, something that has, sadly been adopted here in more recent years.

As for UK stickers, never should have been changed - what was wrong with GB?

[Unreal]

catso said:

Michael_B said:

Here in continental Europe flashing headlights often means « I m coming through, get out the fscking way » in contrast to the British notion of giving way. Can give rise to some interesting situations when UK/GB[1] plated vehicles are involved

[1] I still do a double-take when I see UK stickers on Swiss/French roads. When they first appeared I convinced Mrs B they were Ukrainian

Indeed, I learnt to drive in Italy and flashing there definitely doesn't mean you're letting someone through.

Normally used in conjunction with a constantly running indicator in the 'fast lane' of the Autostrada to mean get out of my fooking way, something that has, sadly been adopted here in more recent years.

As for UK stickers, never should have been changed - what was wrong with GB?

I though we were discussing driving in the UK? Maybe not.

If that's the case we can talk about giving someone a thumbs up for letting you out in Greece.

[Muddle238]

Weekendrebuild said:

Always flash to let people know
Of mobile camera units !

I admit that I don't do this. Most of the camera vans near us are in 30 limits, and they to be fair, park them near schools and what not. If people are thick enough to speed near a school, they deserve the penalty.

[Pica-Pica]

Muddle238 said:

Weekendrebuild said:

Always flash to let people know
Of mobile camera units !

I admit that I don't do this. Most of the camera vans near us are in 30 limits, and they to be fair, park them near schools and what not. If people are thick enough to speed near a school, they deserve the penalty.

Recently we have had quite a few police motorcyclists, parked up and with hand-held radar guns.

[Glitzy Mitzy]

catso said:

Michael_B said:

Here in continental Europe flashing headlights often means « I m coming through, get out the fscking way » in contrast to the British notion of giving way. Can give rise to some interesting situations when UK/GB[1] plated vehicles are involved

[1] I still do a double-take when I see UK stickers on Swiss/French roads. When they first appeared I convinced Mrs B they were Ukrainian

Indeed, I learnt to drive in Italy and flashing there definitely doesn't mean you're letting someone through.

Normally used in conjunction with a constantly running indicator in the 'fast lane' of the Autostrada to mean get out of my fooking way, something that has, sadly been adopted here in more recent years.

As for UK stickers, never should have been changed - what was wrong with GB?

The cancelling of the old 'GB' plate was carried out by woke Tories concerned that the letters didn't identify as being inclusive of Northern Ireland. After extricating the country from the tyrannical EU, who are demonstrably Unionist-phobic, it was then possible to make the transition to more inclusive language with the 'UK' plate - the insistence on GB was an EU mandate, based on their recognition of 'GB' as the international registration code.

I'm not woke, so still have 'GB' plates and an EU flag on my number plate.

Relevant: a traffic copper once told me that briefly flicking from dipped beams to sidelights only is a better way of saying 'thankyou' at night - it achieves the same thing as a flash of the mains, i.e. a visual cue, but doesn't dazzle anybody.

[georgeyboy12345]

Michael_B said:

Here in continental Europe flashing headlights often means « I m coming through, get out the fscking way » in contrast to the British notion of giving way. Can give rise to some interesting situations when UK/GB[1] plated vehicles are involved

This is the same in the Philippines. Another interesting one is that the horn is used to say thank you by way of two short toots.

[Sixteen Stone]

Weekendrebuild said:

Always flash to let people know
Of mobile camera units !

That can cost three points and a fine for preventing a police office from doing his legal duty. ( Or something like that.)

[Sixteen Stone]

georgeyboy12345 said:

Michael_B said:

Here in continental Europe flashing headlights often means « I m coming through, get out the fscking way » in contrast to the British notion of giving way. Can give rise to some interesting situations when UK/GB[1] plated vehicles are involved

This is the same in the Philippines. Another interesting one is that the horn is used to say thank you by way of two short toots.

Having driven, or been driven in Cairo, Teheran, and Delhi, flashing headlights are the least of your worries.

[Unreal]

Sixteen Stone said:

Weekendrebuild said:

Always flash to let people know
Of mobile camera units !

That can cost three points and a fine for preventing a police office from doing his legal duty. ( Or something like that.)

I can sympathise on some roads. I'd be tempted to have my day in court if I was prosecuted. The legal arguments would be interesting.

[SFTWend]

If anyone 'flashed' in accordance with the highway code they would almost certainly plough into someone pulling in front of them. Everyone uses it incorrectly to say 'after you' rather than 'watch out, I'm coming'.

I do flash, I believe correctly, when fast approaching Middle Lane Warriors. It doesn't work as these MLMs no more look in their rear view mirror than they do much in front of their bonnet. Don't need to with active cruise do they.

On a positive note, I'm encouraged that most motorists still have the courtesy of using the 'palm up' gesture when you let them out of a junction or wait for them to pass when oncoming. Those that don't get a different gesture. As others have said, a thank you flash after dark can be dazzling and not appreciated.

Also, remember, ladies don't like flashers.