Do People Understand Flashed Headlights?

[ecotourist]

We were driving last night and in spite of it being fully dark, the vehicle in front of us did not have its lights on. I flashed my headlights several times and got no response.

When someone flashes their headlights do people understand this means danger - your lights are not on, there is a crash ahead, animal on the road, etc.

Or do people just think you're being annoying/creepy?

 

[GSCJR]

When someone flashes their headlights do people understand this means danger

Clearly not, according to your experience.

Or do people just think you're being annoying/creepy?

Drivers can be oblivious.

 

[SC Maintenance]

People here flash there lights to let you turn left or other things. So people here realize it means something.

Some drivers just shouldn't be on the road to start. Sounds like you encountered one.

 

[mclasser]

There are a lot of brain dead people sharing the roads with us. I used to also flash such drivers but have given up and just go around them as quickly as possible.

 

[hemitom]

I see a major issue here with daytime running lights every night i see people driving thinking they have their headlights on when clearly they don't .
And to the question asked people are clueless !

 

[ammolab]

They NEVER do anything wrong so, They just think: “What’s wrong with that nut job!”

 

[Mackelroy]

Flashing lights can mean various things, depending on scenario.

like flashing a truck driver is okay to proceed, or police ahead, or possibly danger like you mention.

30% on the road out there likely dont even have a drivers license or insurance, with all the illegal aliens.

 

[ecotourist]

People here flash there lights to let you turn left or other things.

That's true. Flashed headlights (in the proper context) can mean other things too: "you're clear to pull back into the lane", "why don't you turn left now". And even "you did what?"

The point being that flashed headlights are an alert.

 

[BMWTurboDzl]

We were driving last night and in spite of it being fully dark, the vehicle in front of us did not have its lights on. I flashed my headlights several times and got no response.

When someone flashes their headlights do people understand this means danger - your lights are not on, there is a crash ahead, animal on the road, etc.

Or do people just think you're being annoying/creepy?

Driver's are oblivious. Back lit instrumental panels and drls are partly why. I see it all the time in Atlanta but TBF a lot of the streets are well lit so it's not as obvious that your lamps aren't running.

 

[himemsys]

Maybe their headlights were not working and they were saying "Yes, I know, my headlights are out" as you were flashing them. It's possible for headlights to go out in the middle of a trip and you have no choice but to get to your destination as safely and quickly as possible.

 

[ecotourist]

I see a major issue here with daytime running lights every night i see people driving thinking they have their headlights on when clearly they don't .
And to the question asked people are clueless !

That's true too. Many cars have dim instrument lighting whenever the engine is on, and seeing that, people don't realize their headlights are not on.

Around here we have many dark rainy days in the winter. Not quite dark enough for headlights, but dark enough that you really want your tail lights on.

 

[VolkswagenFox21]

I think people are also starting to get desensitized to flashing headlights. It's pretty common to see cars with auto high beams turning on and off randomly. Also I've had times when I thought someone was flashing their lights at me from behind, but it turned out it was just a car with LED headlights going over some bumps.

That being said, I have a recent success story. Car in front of me didn't have it's lights on at night. Flashed my lights. He immediately turned on his lights and flashed his hazards to say "thanks." That'll probably never ever happen again in my life.

 

[ecotourist]

Maybe their headlights were not working and they were saying "Yes, I know, my headlights are out" as you were flashing them. It's possible for headlights to go out in the middle of a trip and you have no choice but to get to your destination as safely and quickly as possible.

True, but not very likely. Remember the old medical adage, "common things are common".

Which is more likely - (1) alternator has failed on a long trip or (2) forgot to turn on headlights?

 

[Oliveoil2]

When I see someone driving at night without lights I turn my lights off for a second or two and then turn them back on. I do this a couple of times. It usually gets their attention and they turn their lights on.

 

[himemsys]

True, but not very likely. Remember the old medical adage, "common things are common".

Which is more likely - (1) alternator has failed on a long trip or (2) forgot to turn on headlights?

I think the fact that they didn't turn them on after you flashed them repeatedly increases the likelihood that their headlights were non-functional. I'm not saying that's definitively what happened, just saying it's more likely than you might think.

 

[DukeOfFrontenac]

Zero situational awareness. I see it all the time. Scary.

 

[fantastic]

Some folks just need more time to figure it out. I do it when I can and don't really care if they figure it out or not. I'm doing my do diligence for safety.

 

[dishdude]

Almost all cars have auto headlights these days and even still people are too stupid to put the switch in the auto position.

GM and Honda do it right, the switch defaults to auto. You can turn it off for one drive, but the switch always goes back to auto next time the car is started.

 

[rijndael]

I flash my lights all the time to notify folks of a speed trap ahead. About 1 in 50 people seem to get the hint.

 

[KGMtech]

I wrote to Transport Canada about 'ghost cars' problem about 10 years ago. I explained that perhaps because Canada had mandated Daytime Running Lights, and this meant - ironically-that the dashboard display was lit up all the time, that people had no idea that their headlights and running lights were off. TC assured me that they were aware and were working with all OEM's to fix this problem. Clearly I was either lied to, or the TC person was grossly optimistic at the timing of this correction.

In my area, it's an epidemic for new Canadians to show their ignorance of how their cars work by driving in darkness, the same people let their kids ride bikes without helmets.. but I digress.