Do People Understand Flashed Headlights?

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.
According to my understanding of the unwritten rules, by flashing your lights in that situation you were giving her the "you can go ahead of me" signal. It shouldn't come as a surprise that she went ahead.
 
According to my understanding of the unwritten rules, by flashing your lights in that situation you were giving her the "you can go ahead of me" signal. It shouldn't come as a surprise that she went ahead.

If you say so. What are "the unwritten rules"? Is that like secret handshake stuff?

I was accelerating toward her, and she turned into me. Guess your understanding of common sense is on a par with your understanding of right of way.
 
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.
That means allow a yield to the other party to proceed; at least around here.

Marrk, You just reminded me of a major pet peeve. Some drivers - likely trying to be courteous - but are instead setting other drivers up for a MAJOR accident.
Many times I will be attempting to enter an undivided state highway (turning) left when an oncoming car (sometimes also turning left) slows on the highway to let me proceed. What they may not see is a line of traffic behind them passing them on the shoulder at high speed just waiting to T bone my carcass. I beep at the "courteous" and wave them to move along and they get confused and bent outta shape and flash me the proctologist hand sign.

NEVER slow or stop on a highway to let other drivers enter from a secondary side street!**
____________________________________________________
**unless the traffic is already near a standstill or near a walking pace)
 
Headlights are too bright and incorrectly aimed nowadays.

I see Chevy Traverses as the worst offenders with a poor OEM design. Their projector beam fog light style main headlights in the lower bumper appear to be aimed up and become less blinding as you get closer.

Honda headlights aren't the best either, I'll get flashes sometimes only to flash back, hopefully the realize I'm not driving on my brights.
 
It's like for years we've been in a bright headlights arms race. People have become mindless.
Those with halogens are just driving on high beams now trying to keep up. Even those don't seem as bright when compared to LED. The worst are the LED conversions into halogen housings, probably doesn't help illuminate the road much better either from a driver's POV.
 
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. 🤣
More than likely she's used to amber rear turn signals which are the law in most of the rest of the world, but unfashionable in America.
 
Let’s have a go at the (until now) unwritten rules of headlight flashes:

If a vehicle approaching from the front flashes its lights, that means:
  • there is danger ahead (accident, animal(s) on the road, speed trap)
  • your high beams are on and they’re bothering me
  • your headlights are not on, and it’s dark or getting dark
If a vehicle behind you flashes its lights, that means,
  • your lights are off and it’s dark or getting dark
  • you are blocking the left hand lane, and you should move over – right now
At a 4 way stop, if it’s not clear which vehicle should go next, and the vehicle opposite you flashes its lights,
  • that usually means “you can go sir/madam”
  • but (rarely) it apparently can also mean “I’m in a real hurry and you better not even think of turning left in front of me”
 
I also used to flash my high beams at on-coming cars to let them know that there was a police speed trap up ahead.
 
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