In my experience - and what I was taught - is flashing your headlights means there's police ahead (in the direction they're going), i.e. speed trap. When you say you "flash" your headlights, I read that as you're turning your brights on and off at them. Do you mean turning your lights off and on ?
Do People Understand Flashed Headlights?
- Thread starter ecotourist
- Start date
4wd
$50 site donor 2026
I too do a quick on/off - not brights. I’m also moving away from flashing bcs it’s hard to determine brights these days -
When practical - I adjust my own RH light to the shoulders bcs I’m watching that instead of the tug boat lights on the road …
(To hold lane position)
I do have those yellow glasses and use on long night drives …
When practical - I adjust my own RH light to the shoulders bcs I’m watching that instead of the tug boat lights on the road …
(To hold lane position)
I do have those yellow glasses and use on long night drives …
I had a car coming at me in a 4 way stop. Old guy, alone at the wheel. He flashed his lights to indicate "Hey it's my turn, look out, I'm coming through!" The standard is, of course, "go ahead in front of me" or "danger ahead out of sight." He must go home and drink and complain to his wife about how "everyone's a bad driver these days."
Semi drivers know what's up and seem shocked when my ordinary car knows their secret language. They respond with happy trailer light flashes.
Edit: I try to flash people going my way, or the other way. What is up with the pulsing headlights some people are using?
I had the other problem on Tuesday. I dropped off my truck to get a liner sprayed in. So I scootered about a mile away and went to the library. Left there after awhile and was headed to Wendys for lunch. I saw a lady pulling out of a parking lot, and I was scooting towards her on the sidewalk.
I noticed she had a flat tire "Rim riding on the ground". I saw her look at me and I was pointing at her tire. She thought I was a psycho. I'm pretty sure later on she will know why I was looking like a psycho........
Especially when she needs a new aluminum rim, and new tire.
I had the other problem on Tuesday. I dropped off my truck to get a liner sprayed in. So I scootered about a mile away and went to the library. Left there after awhile and was headed to Wendys for lunch. I saw a lady pulling out of a parking lot, and I was scooting towards her on the sidewalk.
I noticed she had a flat tire "Rim riding on the ground". I saw her look at me and I was pointing at her tire. She thought I was a psycho. I'm pretty sure later on she will know why I was looking like a psycho........
Especially when she needs a new aluminum rim, and new tire.Many times intoxication is involved when someone is driving at night with the lights off.
Nope - I mean I flash the high beams. With daylight running lights, turning the lights off and on wouldn't be any more noticeable than that, and anyway I don't think my Tesla would let me turn the headlights completely off at night while moving.
But I also mean flashing the high beams repeatedly, not just once and done.
Yes, flashed headlights can mean "speed trap ahead." Though making such an announcement is frowned upon in Canada and can earn you a traffic violation.
PS Daytime running lights do make an oncoming vehicle stand out. You immediately notice the difference when you encounter the occasional vehicle without them. It just sort of disappears. That's a good caution for Americans visiting Canada. Because all new vehicles in Canada are required to have daytime running lights, if you don't have daytime running lights on your vehicle it would be much safer for both of us if you turned on your headlights. I left the light switch on with my '86 Volvo for the 18+ years I owned it. The headlights came on whenever the ignition was turned on, and turned off when the ignition was turned off. And yes I went through a few headlight bulbs (as many as a half dozen burned out or broken) in those 18 years.
Might be a good way to "encounter" a not so random traffic stop.
People here are absolutely clueless. Every night coming home from work I get blinded by some bozo with their high beams on. Flashing my brights does nothing.
Then there's the brodozers with their led light bars on. Those cause me to have to pull over as I can't see to drive.
I have resorted to fighting back.
Then there's the brodozers with their led light bars on. Those cause me to have to pull over as I can't see to drive.
I have resorted to fighting back.
The problem with retaliating by keeping your high beams on (or in your case more than high beams) is now you have 2 drivers who can't see where they're going.
I sometimes meet half ton trucks on the narrow winding road into our neighbourhood. Because they're so high their low beams are like high beams. I have to stop sometimes. It's not safe to proceed when you can't see.
Toyota (and Subaru) DRLs use a pulse-width modulated bulb driver. Incadescents, which were designed for, coast through the periods of no voltage and glow dimly. LED retrofits however pulse several hundred times per second. You can't see it head on, but you can see it in your corner vision, and cell phone cameras can pick it up.
When encountering others not running headlights, I turn mine on and off to signal them, not flash my high beams.
People blinding others get the high beam treatment. A lot seem to think that just because they're running their low beams, it's fine no matter how much they've blinding others. This is not the truth, if their low beams are blinding others then there's a problem. Aim them properly, get rid of the ridiculous LED retrofit bulbs, etc.
People blinding others get the high beam treatment. A lot seem to think that just because they're running their low beams, it's fine no matter how much they've blinding others. This is not the truth, if their low beams are blinding others then there's a problem. Aim them properly, get rid of the ridiculous LED retrofit bulbs, etc.
I watched a car chase in California last year on tv where the guy was doing well over 100 in a Lexus. On the freeway he turned off his lights and drove like that for 20-40 minutes. I was terrified just watching this, waiting for some poor soul to make a lane change. There must have been so many soiled shorts on all the people he passed that never saw him coming.
Flashing headlights at another driver can lead to road rage. I don’t do it.
Nope, flashing high beams has never meant "hey, your headlights are off" to me. You turn the headlights on/off a few times. With more and more DRLs, yeah, it's not as obvious as it used to be.
2-3 times max here. More than that, you're seen as a rear end or raging madman.
I don't how they pass the driving test ! Down right scary here ! last night saw one driving the wrong way on one of the busiest streets in our city .
I play hockey with some local police and also O.P.P local guys always talking about no license or insurance and complete lack of knowledge of rules of the road. O.P.P constant issues with the New Canadians driving Trasports
I disagree. To me, if I'm being flashed with high beams, I immediately check whether 1) my high beams are on or 2) my headlights are off. To me, these are the most obvious reasons that someone is flashing their high beams at me.
Flashing your high beams at night means "turn your lights down". That's the only time you should do it. And if the other car doesn't respond, don't get angry and turn your highs on and leave them, because as other said that only makes you both blind. Any other situation such as "your lights are out" or "look out for something ahead" would be signaled by turning your lights off and back on.
Flashing your lights at a big truck always means "you may cut in front of me" so be prepared for that. Car drivers have widely different interpretations. Doing it as "Hey get out of the fast lane, because here I come" is road rage. Always try to get out of the fast lane when someone is coming up fast behind you, because you really want those bozos in front of you where you can keep an eye on them.
Flashing your lights at a big truck always means "you may cut in front of me" so be prepared for that. Car drivers have widely different interpretations. Doing it as "Hey get out of the fast lane, because here I come" is road rage. Always try to get out of the fast lane when someone is coming up fast behind you, because you really want those bozos in front of you where you can keep an eye on them.
Last edited:
Especially on the highway at 80 mph.
