Is it legal....

tonedef

....to flash your lights at the driver of the car in front of you in the outside lane of the motorway to get them to pull over so you can pass?

My understanding is that it wasn't as it was considered intentionally distracting the another driver but the twat behind me on the M4 this evening didn't share my opinion.

eringobragh

I'm sure a lot of people will agree with me so....STOP hogging the overtaking lane and you'll have no problem! I flash people too but i give them an opportunity to move back before hand but some people like to play god. "I'm doing 120 k so it'll have to do you" crap:mad:

That M4 is rife with people like you that don't know how to use lanes..it gets really fustrating.

Rory123

The official line we were given in an advanced driving course was the the outside lane was strictly an OVERTAKING lane. Even if you are doing 120kph and a car comes up behind you doing 150kph, you are still supposed to get out of the way and let him pass.

No offence OP, but you were possibly more in the wrong than he was. But if none of us had our vices, it would be a very boring life!

tonedef

eringobragh wrote: »

I'm sure a lot of people will agree with me so....STOP hogging the overtaking lane and you'll have no problem! I flash people too but i give them an opportunity to move back before hand but some people like to play god. "I'm doing 120 k so it'll have to do you" crap:mad:

That M4 is rife with people like you that don't know how to use lanes..it gets really fustrating.

OK, 2 things....
1. you didn't answer my questions - is it legal
2. I didn't say what speed I was doing when I was in the lane so how can you talk about "people like me"???

peasant

dillon1 wrote: »

OK, 2 things....
1. you didn't answer my questions - is it legal
2. I didn't say what speed I was doing when I was in the lane so how can you talk about "people like me"???

ahh ...and a wonderful display of lane hogger attitude to top it all off

eringobragh

dillon1 wrote: »

OK, 2 things....
1. you didn't answer my questions - is it legal
2. I didn't say what speed I was doing when I was in the lane so how can you talk about "people like me"???

1. Possibly but is flashing people with no headlights on legal??
2. You were obviously sitting in the lane if you were getting flashed. Don't try and tell me you only got in it and you were flashed :rolleyes: The speed i mentioned was just an example nothing to do with you.

hebejebees

I can't see why it would be illegal
Bit unfair to pass judgement immediatly, i have been doing 120 over taking a row of traffic but the guy behind me wants to do 140 and flashes me, i accept flash me to move back in when i finish passing the row of traffic but to fit in where there is no gap

BTW I'm a flasher if i see some idiot in the outside lane doing 100

peasant

honestly ...i have no idea if it is legal or not (I suspect probably not) ...but if you find yourself getting flashed at ...what are you going to do about it?

Stop and give yer man a telling off? Look over your shoulder and take the reg down and then ring the snitch line?

Just get out of the way if you can ...and if you can't ...ignore it.

C_Breeze

dillon1 wrote: »

OK, 2 things....
1. you didn't answer my questions - is it legal
2. I didn't say what speed I was doing when I was in the lane so how can you talk about "people like me"???

1 - yes it is legal to flash your lights

2 - it doesnt matter what speed you were doing, if somebody comes up behind you at a faster speed get out of the God damn way.


You shouldnt even have been in that lane unless you were actually overtaking.

Typical attitude of the sh*te drivers that plague our roads

D_murph

C_Breeze wrote: »

it doesnt matter what speed you were doing, if somebody comes up behind you at a faster speed get out of the God damn way.


You shouldnt even have been in that lane unless you were actually overtaking.

^X2 and by overtaking we mean doing so by actually completing the overtaking maneuver in decent time instead of going neck and neck with the other car for ages and not actually overtaking at all.

the amount of times i have been stuck behind 2 idiots doing this :rolleyes:.

JHMEG

The OP was in the overtaking lane.. has anyone asked was he actually overtaking at the time?

Lads it is possible the OP was overtaking, and some cnut came hooring up at 150km/h behind him and felt that just cos he was going faster he was more entitled to the overtaking lane.

Oh, hold on, I forgot we have the boards traffic corp on here who shoot first, and don't ask questions.

Jimbo

Last time I was driving in Dublin, people seemed to have no problem undertaking on the left lane. Never see it anywhere else in the country.

colm_mcm

thank god I have a bullbar, a few slaps of that gets the message across much more clearly than flashing lights.

peasant

JHMEG wrote: »

Lads it is possible the OP was overtaking, and some cnut came hooring up at 150km/h behind him and felt that just cos he was going faster he was more entitled to the overtaking lane.

In the end it doesn't matter if the driver from behind is a "cnut" or not, if they are flashing their lights legally or not or if they are doing the speed limit or 50 km/h more.

If they're THAT anxious to get past you, the safest thing to do still is to get out of their way as fast as you can.

TheBazman

I agree with the points that have been made. What do ye think is the best course of action say if you are coming along a motorway at say 120 km/hr (or faster but I dont want the "you shouldnt be breaking the speed limit" brigade on my back) and you can see a good distance ahead an "outside lane hogger" - should you (a) continue until you are up behind them, slow down to their speed and hope then move in, or (b) flash when you are a good distance behind so that they can move in on time and you can maintain your speed/cruise control?

tonedef

JHMEG wrote: »

The OP was in the overtaking lane.. has anyone asked was he actually overtaking at the time?

Lads it is possible the OP was overtaking, and some cnut came hooring up at 150km/h behind him and felt that just cos he was going faster he was more entitled to the overtaking lane.

Oh, hold on, I forgot we have the boards traffic corp on here who shoot first, and don't ask questions.

Well now you ask, no one seemed interested in the facts, just got the opinion that because I was in the overtaking lane when I got flashed I must be a "lane hug" or some other form of parasite that doesn't deserve to live!!

Story is I was passing a line of approx. 8 cars, I was doing about 155k at the time, when a car came up behind me and started flashing his lights like a nutter as soon as he caught up to me which I thought was a bit over the top and lead me to start this thread to find out if he was legally allowed to flash his lights in this situation.

Don't worry though I've learned my lesson, boards is for rants, not asking fairly simple questions.

P.S. I know I was speeding so thanks in advance for all the impending comments on this....

port

C_Breeze wrote: »

1 - yes it is legal to flash your lights

2 - it doesnt matter what speed you were doing, if somebody comes up behind you at a faster speed get out of the God damn way.


You shouldnt even have been in that lane unless you were actually overtaking.

Typical attitude of the sh*te drivers that plague our roads

Why do you think its legal? I recently read that a motorist was fined in court for flashing another driver.

archtech

If people actually obeyed the rules of the road, there wouldn't be any need for people to flash others on the motorway or any other road for that matter.... but then this is Ireland.

What really gets me, is drivers coming up in the outer lane and flashing while I am overtaking (at the speed limit speed) in the outer lane a long line of traffic (as often happens on a sunday evening) and expects me to move over when there is no place to move into an inner lane safely.

archtech

dillon1 wrote: »

Story is I was passing a line of approx. 8 cars, I was doing about 155k at the time, when a car came up behind me and started flashing his lights like a nutter as soon as he caught up to me which I thought was a bit over the top and lead me to start this thread to find out if he was legally allowed to flash his lights in this situation.

A quick tip of your brakes and they won't be long backing off.

Mr. Presentable

It occurs to me there are strict restrictions on when you may use headlights. As a means of attention getting is not among them, so, it would be illegal. Though I doubt it'd be enforced.

colm_mcm

you're wondering if the person behind you is breaking the law by flashing his lights while you exceed the speed limit by 35km/h?

D_murph

dillon1 wrote: »

Well now you ask, no one seemed interested in the facts, just got the opinion that because I was in the overtaking lane when I got flashed I must be a "lane hug" or some other form of parasite that doesn't deserve to live!!

Story is I was passing a line of approx. 8 cars, I was doing about 155k at the time, when a car came up behind me and started flashing his lights like a nutter as soon as he caught up to me which I thought was a bit over the top and lead me to start this thread to find out if he was legally allowed to flash his lights in this situation.

Don't worry though I've learned my lesson, boards is for rants, not asking fairly simple questions.

P.S. I know I was speeding so thanks in advance for all the impending comments on this....

well if you were doing that speed and he wasnt happy with it then IMO he could fcuk himself for all i care

JHMEG

dillon1 wrote: »

Story is I was passing a line of approx. 8 cars,

Wonder will apologies come as quick as the condemnation did from eringobragh et al...

eringobragh

JHMEG wrote: »

Wonder will apologies come as quick as the condemnation did from eringobragh et al...

LOL..I'll start Sorry Dillon Your not the Average lane Hogger

cjt156

Lights flashing at you while doing 155k? Gay Byrne coming to kick your ass.

Tails142

was probably an off duty garda trying to pull you over... what'd you do next, drop the hammer and leave him behind.

Right lane hoggers are a pita - if you had've provided more info you wouldnt have been ranted at so its your own fault.

We have been discussing the legitimacy of undertaking and flashing lights to get people to pull out of your way recently, so your post probably came at a bad time.

Still though, no matter how irritating a right lane hogger is there's nothing quite as outrageously annoying as an asshole trying to flash you out of the way when you're stuck behind a line of traffic and both lanes are heavily congested.

Full beams can be used as a method for warning other drivers - the guy could say in his defense that he was warning you to get out of his way before he went through you but I dont know how well that would fly in front of a judge.

Bendihorse

archtech wrote: »

A quick tip of your brakes and they won't be long backing off.

Very sensible chat there archtech.

Obviously that guy was impatient, i hope he was in a rush somewhere and thats not just his every day style.

The overtaking lane is exactly what it says on the tin. If you are passing a line of slower moving traffic and someone comes up behind you that is travelling faster, then you should pull in briefly to let them pass if there is room to do so.

Idea of the extra lane is so that no one is holding up other traffic, therefore keeping things running smoothly and at a good steady pace.

Turner

Everybody here is mentioning the right hand lane/fast lane/overtaking lane.

I presume ye are all referring to the BMW lane :rolleyes:

D_murph

Tails142 wrote: »

Still though, no matter how irritating a right lane hogger is there's nothing quite as outrageously annoying as an asshole trying to flash you out of the way when you're stuck behind a line of traffic and both lanes are heavily congested.

true or driving up your arse while youre not the actual hogger but are stuck behind one. what do they expect you to do, drive over em?

kodute

archtech wrote: »

A quick tip of your brakes and they won't be long backing off.

Only if you have a towbar.

Anan1

D_murph wrote: »

true or driving up your arse while youre not the actual hogger but are stuck behind one. what do they expect you to do, drive over em?

True, if you've done your best to encourage the hogger to move. It's one of those situations where if you're not part of the solution you're part of the problem.;)