Do People Understand Flashed Headlights?

[ecotourist]

New (adult immigrant) drivers without a clue how their own vehicle operates. We hand out licences on the back of cereal boxes.

We used to have a TV program in Canada called Canada's Worst Drivers. People nominated family and friends for this alternatively humiliating and helpful program. Over the course of a number of episodes, really bad drivers were taught to drive properly and most became less bad.

One nurse admitted having bumped into numerous vehicles in parking lots and such ("everybody does that don't they"). With a few lessons and learning that people do not do that, she became quite a good driver.

One recent immigrant admitted that the driver's test in her home country went as follows, "Please turn on the engine". "Very good, you have passed the test."

 

[ARCOgraphite]

A story I told here a couple times where I almost bought the farm.

I was heading to work on a hilly State Highway (downhill section Rt 111 W) and attempting to pass slower traffic.

Then out of the morning mist appeared a car in the oncoming lane at 100mph plus combined closing speed - NO HEADLIGHTS! Luckily he/she was awake enough to pull right over into the ample breakdown lane and we just missed each other by about two feet. No time to brake. Just, Oh *&^^%# !

I still see at least one out of ten cars with no HL on in low visibility weather or late twilight. I flash them but to no avail. I'll have to look at my headlight knob to see if I can rotate it to off/on easily. Its a biit of a reach. I disabled my DRL in a menu and I always manually run my HL whenever required or necessary. I don't trust the auto option. I am in control. No autopilot allowed here.

 

[tcp71]

British Columbia has really gotten into re-testing seniors so they can keep their driver's licences. One of the requirements is to shoulder check with every lane change and on every turn. Three misses over the course of the test and you fail. And after a couple of failed tests you get to surrender your driver's licence.

According to the BC senior's driver's re-test requirements, a driver would have seen that clown passing you on the left as you turned left. I guess it's safer that way but realistically who does this - shoulder check on the right before turning right from the right hand lane, shoulder check on the left before turning left from the left hand lane. Just make sure you do it every time if you ever face the BC senior driver's re-test.

I'm currently training myself to do it automatically. Seems a bit far fetched but .....

From what I've heard it's a really hard test. Maybe everyone should have to take the same test periodically, and with their driver's licences on the line too. Especially the politicians.

The shoulder check is also to look at the sidewalk behind you to see if there is someone about to step into the intersection as you make the left/right turn.

 

[ecotourist]

I disabled my DRL in a menu and I always manually run my HL whenever required or necessary. I don't trust the auto option. I am in control. No autopilot allowed here.

Studies in Scandinavia found that DRLs dramatically reduced the number of highway crashes. It may be because of low light conditions in Scandinavia, but for whatever reason that's what they found. Canada became an early adopter after that information came out.

The only problem with having DRLs is that the people who don't have them seem to "hide out" in a line of traffic where everyone else has them. You just don't see those vehicles. And that could be dangerous.

 

[ARCOgraphite]

Studies in Scandinavia found that DRLs dramatically reduced the number of highway crashes. It may be because of low light conditions in Scandinavia, but for whatever reason that's what they found. Canada became an early adopter after that information came out.

The only problem with having DRLs is that the people who don't have them seem to "hide out" in a line of traffic where everyone else has them. You just don't see those vehicles. And that could be dangerous.

I turn on my lights when needed.
I was out in a low -visibility snow storm yesterday and again there were too many cars travelling on the local N-S undivided, high-speed. highway with their HL off.

I tried the @Astro14 recommended HL "on-off" oncoming alert yesterday on three vehicles, but I never saw their tailights light up after we had passed one another.

 

[ecotourist]

I turn on my lights when needed.
I was out in a low -visibility snow storm yesterday and again there were too many cars travelling on the local N-S undivided, high-speed. highway with their HL off.

I tried the @Astro14 recommended HL "on-off" oncoming alert yesterday on three vehicles, but I never saw their tailights light up after we had passed one another.

In the days before DLRs one on my teenage friends was killed in a head-on collision while passing a slower vehicle during daylight on a 2 lane snowy road. For that to happen you'd have to think that visibility must have been poor. And DLRs or headlights might have made a difference. It's tragic that a simple decision can have such major consequences.

 

[Marrk]

@ecotourist I live in Los Angeles. No one here knows anything about driving anymore. The roads are extremely dangerous. Might be the same elsewhere if the major cause is cellphones and generalized stupidity. Millennials and Gen-Z are pretty much useless generations.

 

[shortyb]

When I saw someone driving with no lights on, I flashed my lights. Must have gotten their attention, they pulled right over and turned them on. My flashed lights were blue .

 

[Pablo]

Does anyone even understand flashlights anymore?

 

[Marrk]

A few hours after I posted the above, there was a three-car collision on the street in front of my gym. Two cars total-ed. Thankfully, no cellphones were damaged in the smashup.

 

[dbias]

I came up behind a heavy rescue ambulance the other night with no lights on at all, pretty well lit street, and I double flashed them from behind and they instantly understood the assignment and turned their headlights on. They also chirped the siren in appreciation lol.

 

[Marrk]

Flashing your brights could mean a lot of things, but generally it means (to the person being flashed): "Hey, buddy, put the sandwich down and pay attention."

Possible Alternate Meanings:

Flashing Your Brights at an Oncoming Car: "Hey, buddy, you have your brights on. That may be nice for you, but it's blinding the f*** out of me."

Flashing Your Brights at a Car Ahead of You: "Hey, grandma, how about sliding over so I can pass your a**."

Flashing Your Brights at a Car That Is About to Turn Left in Front of You: "Hey, pal, are you sure you made that last payment on your car insurance policy?"

Flashing Your Brights When No One Else Is On the Road: "I just picked up this hitchhiker chic, and she's doing things in the front seat that I didn't know were possible."

 

[Elkins45]

At one point some of my vehicles had DRL and some didn’t. I couldn’t remember if I needed to turn on my lights or not.

 

[ctechbob]

Semi drivers know what's up and seem shocked when my ordinary car knows their secret language. They respond with happy trailer light flashes.

There are scores of truckers these days that don't have a clue. Can't tell you how many I've passed with our camper in tow and never a single flash.

Also the number that don't respond to me when I flash them after being passed. Never a 4 way 'thank you' flash.

20 Years ago when I was pulling a company race trailer all over the US it was a pretty universal language. Today, notsomuch.

 

[Marrk]

Semi drivers know what's up and seem shocked when my ordinary car knows their secret language. They respond with happy trailer light flashes.

I've had good experiences with those guys. I won't bore you with the details. Professional drivers know how to drive, and they know the culture of the road.

 

[The_Jeff]

Flashing Your Brights at a Car That Is About to Turn Left in Front of You: "Hey, pal, are you sure you made that last payment on your car insurance policy?"

Uhhh, flashing brights in this situation means "I yield, go ahead." If you don't feel visible you should have your lows/ DRLs on steady, but should have had them on before it could be misconstrued as the "go ahead" signal.

 

[Marrk]

Uhhh, flashing brights in this situation means "I yield, go ahead." If you don't feel visible you should have your lows/ DRLs on steady, but should have had them on before it could be misconstrued as the "go ahead" signal.

You are probably right. She turned in front of me, and my car was total-ed.

I flashed my brights to remind her that I had the right of way. All that "Rules of the Road" stuff from Drivers' Ed. But, as you evince, nobody knows and nobody cares.

 

[JGmazda]

Short answer - No. Most drivers around here in AZ. can barely use their turn signals. Multiple crashes reported every day. I've personally witnessed dozens of drivers "driving" at night without their headlights on. I often wonder.... How are they still alive???

 

[CleanSump]

Back in the '90s I acted as big brother to a friend's niece who came from Japan to go to college here. She told me that cars in the US were bad because she thought they didn't have turn signals.

 

[Finklejag]

I lived in Palm Springs when I was 19. I use to get so pissed at the Canadians driving with their lights on all the time. I didn’t know about the DRL law they had at the time. That’s all I got.