Flashing your lights

Stark

Safe stopping distance is part of the driving test.

Dwilly

Oh and I've seen that indicating thing done on the autobahn quite a bit, you're right though - nobody over here seems to cop on to it!

Dwilly

Safe stopping distance is part of the driving test.

Really? Didn't realise. How long has that been there, I definitely didn't do it a few years back. Motorway stopping distance is essential though, potential location for maximum carnage.

zilog_jones

I've got flashed on my way to work in the mornings by people behind me. For what? Driving at the 60 km/h speed limit (what no one else seems to do), it seemed. That's the type of flashing that deserves the finger...

My driving instructor also said about you being responsible if you flash/call someone out of a junction. I just stop if I'm letting someone out - it's usually pretty obvious why I'm stopping. I would only flash my lights to warn of danger or if they have their full beams on, or no lights at all in the dark!

colm_mcm

If you're sticking to the speed limit, good for you, If you're holding people up or not going faster than the traffic in the inside lane, then I think it's good manners to let them off.
Personally I can't stand drivers who get abusive when flashed to pull over. It's like their ego is bruised for having to let someone past them.

nastysimon

zilog_jones wrote:

I've got flashed on my way to work in the mornings by people behind me. For what? Driving at the 60 km/h speed limit (what no one else seems to do), it seemed. That's the type of flashing that deserves the finger...

Were you overtaking? If not why were you in the overtaking lane? Do the speed limit if you want, but two wrongs don't make a right, so get out of their way and if you really feel the need (they were driving dangerously fast for the conditions) report them.

Seinas

Stark wrote:

Went down to Kerry a few months back and every oncoming car was flashing me. Never did figure out why, had my dips on and there were no obstructions/speed traps etc. around any of the bends. They could have been flashing their lights because the local parish priest died for all the use that signal usually is.

yeah, we really do like flashing our lights down here........ its a Kerry thing :cool:

zilog_jones

nastysimon wrote:

Were you overtaking? If not why were you in the overtaking lane? Do the speed limit if you want, but two wrongs don't make a right, so get out of their way and if you really feel the need (they were driving dangerously fast for the conditions) report them.

I didn't say anything about overtaking or even a dual carriageway. What dual carriageway has a speed limit of 60 km/h anyway?

stovelid

zilog_jones wrote:

I didn't say anything about overtaking or even a dual carriageway. What dual carriageway has a speed limit of 60 km/h anyway?

I've seen people on the motorway doing 60K, never mind the dualer.

G Luxel

There is one reason not mentioned so far for a driver to flash his/her lights. The small button on the dashboard where you can move your headlights to high and low positionings may cause the headlights to appear as a dazzle to oncoming drivers when in fact they are not.

daedalus2097

zilog_jones wrote:

I didn't say anything about overtaking or even a dual carriageway. What dual carriageway has a speed limit of 60 km/h anyway?

Most of the N11 north of Bray is 60km/h - downright ridiculous in certain parts, but that's what it is. Fair enough if you were on a single carriageway, but there are those people who sit in the overtaking lane on a dual carriageway at the speed limit for no good reason. Maybe they think they're doing their bit to save the world, but in reality they're only pissing off the guy behind who knows well he's going to break the speed limit anyway, only now he's frustrated and resorts to undertaking or something else.

daedalus2097

G Luxel wrote:

There is one reason not mentioned so far for a driver to flash his/her lights. The small button on the dashboard where you can move your headlights to high and low positionings may cause the headlights to appear as a dazzle to oncoming drivers when in fact they are not.

A lot of cars don't have them, and of those that do, I'd say a fair number of people don't know what it does In fairness though, these adjustments don't let you move the headlights above their standard position, only below, so either they were set by a lazy/incompetent Quick-Fit monkey (or not set at all), or the back of the car's weighed down something serious and the lights are pointing in the air - in which case cars with no leveller control will dazzle anyway.

One point I've noticed with a number of cars is that some people with the combined type headlights (H4 bulbs and similar, the ones with full and dipped in the one lamp) replace the bulb when it goes but put it in upside down. As a result, the dipped beam partially points up in the air instead of at the ground. Ever notice those cars with one dazzling light and one normal one? That's probably the reason.