Flashing lights

batman2000

DonJose wrote: »

Thats a nice way to talk about a driver who is considerate enough to let you turn when he has right of way. Women drivers have to be the most inconsiderate drivers on the road, I've never been let out by a woman driver and if you let a woman driver out most times she won't even have the courtesy to acknowledge you.

+1

DonJose

lisajane wrote: »

To all those ass-holes that wrote that that the driver was trying to be courteous cause i must be stupid enough to have a 5 mile tail back behind me and was trying to be nice to clear the back log of traffic. I was turning right on a main road and i had the right road position (just left of the centre line) so following traffic could overtake me on the left. I wasn't in anyone's way.

Flashing lights are just one of those things i hate.

Post reported! I'm never letting you out

lisajane

I have let men out. Not anymore, im so inconsiderate.

chris85

lisajane wrote: »

I have let men out. Not anymore, im so inconsiderate.

You never let anybody out. Because when you let someone out you are the one that has right of way and then let other people out, and you seem baffled in earlier posts about this concept of people having the right of way yet still 'flashing' to let you out.

astraboy

OP, did you buy your license? Flashing lights mean many things depending on the situation. Now, a car in slow moving traffic, slowing down and flashing his lights at you, while you are indicating right to turn across to a junction, obviously means you can drive on and not have to wait another 5 minutes. I'm sorry if it "Annoys" you, but people that need a written invitation to pull over to a junction after I've clearly let them go "Annoy" me too. If it "Annoys" you that much sit there and don't take the opportunity to cross. One would think you would appreciate the gesture, but instead you have the nerve to give out about it.

If your on a national secondary route and you get a flash of lights, it means slow down cos:
A: Theres cops ahead with a speed gun
B: There is an accident or hazzard ahead.

Using your lights to warn/gesture to other drivers is a handy and often courteous thing to do. it only takes a flick of the wrist!

Alun

To be fair, I think what she may have been referring to is the situation where someone on the mainline actually stops and flashes you to turn right when there's absolutely no need for it. I.e. if they'd just driven on, you could have turned right under your own steam quite easily after a few seconds wait for a gap. OK, if the traffic coming towards you is pretty solid and moving slowly, and/or there's a huge queue of traffic behind you waiting to get past, but I've been behind drivers before who have stopped to let someone turn right, and therefore forced me to stop, when we were quite literally the only other cars on the road going in that direction for some distance behind us. That's not being polite, it's just utterly pointless.

astraboy

Ya Alun thats true, people will just have to learn to use a combination of their mirrors and common sense!

nialler

My interpretation:

Busy road, no right turns, slow flash of lights indicates hazard ahead or speedcheck or some sort of garda presence (that's the same all over the world).

Right Turn on busy road - guy/girl/farmer flashing lights while a good distance away or at a suitable speed means go ahead mate, you've plenty of time to make the turn and I'm aware of you there.

Same goes for the two cars parked opposite each other and two cars approaching from opposite sides.

Now I get flashed in the morning (oooo errrrr) I pull out of my junction (the back street in ringsend) pull up to the main junction stop at yellow box, allow 1 car out from thorncastle street, that person then proceeds up the bridge and allows 1 car out from fitzwilliam, I allow one car out from fitzwilliam (with a flash to say go ahead, or a hand wave if they're looking) guy behind me does the same, it just keeps the traffic moving (albeit slowly, but we're going nowhere in a hurry).

Courtesy costs nothing and you shouldn't criticise the people trying to be courteous to yourself or anybody else.


N

chris85

nialler wrote: »

My interpretation:

Busy road, no right turns, slow flash of lights indicates hazard ahead or speedcheck or some sort of garda presence (that's the same all over the world).

Right Turn on busy road - guy/girl/farmer flashing lights while a good distance away or at a suitable speed means go ahead mate, you've plenty of time to make the turn and I'm aware of you there.

Same goes for the two cars parked opposite each other and two cars approaching from opposite sides.

Now I get flashed in the morning (oooo errrrr) I pull out of my junction (the back street in ringsend) pull up to the main junction stop at yellow box, allow 1 car out from thorncastle street, that person then proceeds up the bridge and allows 1 car out from fitzwilliam, I allow one car out from fitzwilliam (with a flash to say go ahead, or a hand wave if they're looking) guy behind me does the same, it just keeps the traffic moving (albeit slowly, but we're going nowhere in a hurry).

Courtesy costs nothing and you shouldn't criticise the people trying to be courteous to yourself or anybody else.


N

Courtesy is so easy to show on the roads. The OP has no common sense and probably collected 20 crisp packets to get the licence

Alun

nialler wrote: »

Right Turn on busy road - guy/girl/farmer flashing lights while a good distance away or at a suitable speed means go ahead mate, you've plenty of time to make the turn and I'm aware of you there.

True, but ultimately it's not your call to make, but that of the person who's pulling out. He may have seen some other hazard you might be unaware of, like someone about to overtake you, or a car coming from the other direction at speed, that he can judge better than you, for instance. Also, what you personally might view as a 'good' distance or 'suitable' speed might not match his appraisal of the situation.

Don't get me wrong, I sometimes flash people like this, but I don't get annoyed if they don't take me up on the offer .. it's their decision whether to go or not, not mine.

Pherekydes

nialler wrote: »

My interpretation:

+1
That's all it is. Interpretation.

Misplaced courtesy is probably what the Op was referring to and alluded to by Alun above. It's pointless, stupid and possibly dangerous.

It happens every day when I turn right into my estate. Some cars block the entrance; some stop in heavy traffic and let you in; some flash while still rolling and expect you to execute a rapid turn, so you don't hold them up, despite the fact that the road behind them is completely empty; some, at a distance, give you a long (3 second) flash as you make your turn, presumably because they're angry that you didn't wait until they gave you the go ahead.

You'll find that it isn't a matter of interpretation when you go to overtake a stationary hazard (truck/bus/parked car) and have a head-on.

"But judge, he flashed me and I took it to mean I could go..."

Sully

--amadeus-- wrote: »

I'm gobsmacked that someone with a full license and 2.5 years driving behind them is asking this. I thought you picked this up from experience, obviously not.

I'm pretty stunned myself.. I knew this before I even started driving. Its very common and I do it myself. Iv been in the situation before where I am sitting to turn right or left and the traffic is heavy with nobody stopping to leave me pass.

Its only unsafe if you stop suddenly, or stop at a sharp bend - as the car coming from behind may not be able to slow down in time. Also, considerable distance and time is required for the car in front (making sure there path is clear) to make the move.

Thats just one area where lights are flashed of course, there are many others depending on the situation. However the OPs question should be fairly ****ing obvious what the heck the car is doing!

lisajane wrote: »

To all those ass-holes that wrote that that the driver was trying to be courteous cause i must be stupid enough to have a 5 mile tail back behind me and was trying to be nice to clear the back log of traffic. I was turning right on a main road and i had the right road position (just left of the centre line) so following traffic could overtake me on the left. I wasn't in anyone's way.

Flashing lights are just one of those things i hate.

Those "assholes" are trying to teach you how to drive. I can not believe you have a licence that many years and never once realised what they meant. Its pretty obvious what they meant when the car stops and flashes you. I'm sure they even waved you on or pointed you to turn.

By you sitting there like an eejit with a queue of cars behind you, and refusing to let the drivers in front give you room to move - is holding up traffic and could result in a serious accident.

lisajane

chris85 wrote: »

You never let anybody out. Because when you let someone out you are the one that has right of way and then let other people out, and you seem baffled in earlier posts about this concept of people having the right of way yet still 'flashing' to let you out.

The only time i let someone out is when something blocks the other drivers view and they mightn't be able to see me. Or if im in slow moving traffic and im going nowhwere myself.

chris85

lisajane wrote: »

The only time i let someone out is when something blocks the other drivers view and they mightn't be able to see me. Or if im in slow moving traffic and im going nowhwere myself.

But wait you have the right of way on both of them situations. Thats being a bit of a hypocrite now

On yer bike! (seriously)

lisajane

Sully wrote: »

I'm pretty stunned myself.. I knew this before I even started driving. Its very common and I do it myself. Iv been in the situation before where I am sitting to turn right or left and the traffic is heavy with nobody stopping to leave me pass.

Its only unsafe if you stop suddenly, or stop at a sharp bend - as the car coming from behind may not be able to slow down in time. Also, considerable distance and time is required for the car in front (making sure there path is clear) to make the move.

Thats just one area where lights are flashed of course, there are many others depending on the situation. However the OPs question should be fairly ****ing obvious what the heck the car is doing!



Those "assholes" are trying to teach you how to drive. I can not believe you have a licence that many years and never once realised what they meant. Its pretty obvious what they meant when the car stops and flashes you. I'm sure they even waved you on or pointed you to turn.

By you sitting there like an eejit with a queue of cars behind you, and refusing to let the drivers in front give you room to move - is holding up traffic and could result in a serious accident.

Sitting there to turn right, traffic was still overtaking on the left. Was not holding up traffic.

eamon234

D_murph wrote: »

yep, crouching garda, hidden camera

Hahaaaa LMAO! I made the mistake of taking a sip of coffee while reading your post there's coffee spray all over my screen:D

lisajane

chris85 wrote: »

But wait you have the right of way on both of them situations. Thats being a bit of a hypocrite now

On yer bike! (seriously)

ya im trying to be safe. if a driver has a reduced view he mightn't see me. if i continue on he might drive into me cause he didn't see me. if he didn't see me and pulled out and hit me, it would be his fault but i could have avoided it by giving him right of way. trying to avoid an accident.

chris85

lisajane wrote: »

ya im trying to be safe. if a driver has a reduced view he mightn't see me. if i continue on he might drive into me cause he didn't see me. if he didn't see me and pulled out and hit me, it would be his fault but i could have avoided it by giving him right of way. trying to avoid an accident.

was being sarcastic. You gave out that people had right of way yet still helped you, yet you do it as well as you had right of way and let other people out.

Flashing is part of common coutesy on the roads. without courtesy on roads, some people would never get around. You ever been on any of the big national routes like Dublin-Galway. Ive seen People waiting up to 7-8 mins tryin to turn right off the road. i sometimes may slow down gradually well in advance to a safe speed to leave a very generous gap (around 80-100m) in front of me and flash to let the person turn. Then after they turn I speed up a bit and Im back with flow of traffic within a minute.

You just have to use your head and be safe and everything is fine.

unkel

lisajane wrote: »

To all those ass-holes that wrote that that the driver was trying to be courteous

No need for abuse, lisajane. That's a warning...

smemon

The problem is that people don't know the unwritten rules of the road..

For example, in a test, you cannot wave pedestrains across the road, you cannot let some poor fecker out who's on a hill and trying to join a static string of traffic... you can't turn off in third gear, even when all roads around you are clear, you cannot plough on at a stop sign when their is no traffic and no danger.

These are all little things which are included in the unwritten rules of the road. If you don't do any of the above, you're ultimately slowing down traffic and causing frustration.

Flashing lights surrenders a position on the road if you're in a built up area 90% of the time. Simple as that. Other reasons include;

(a) there's danger up ahead - cops, cows, horse.. whatever
(b) you have no lights on and are a danger to everyone around you.
(c) you have just made a dangerous overtaking manouver which forced the car that's flashing you to brake or pull in to avoid you.
(d) they know you and are saying hello.
(e) you have full beams on, stop blinding me, i'll dip when you dip.

This is all common sense. You don't need to be a driver to know this stuff. What do people do for 17/18 years of their lives before they get in to the drivers seat? Sleep in the backseat with a mask over their faces?

afatbollix

i bet ya she drives a micra!!!!!!!111!!!

Slidey

Had a dig at the op but decieded it wasnt fair... its a learning curve and i hope you can take some of what has been said on board

TJJP

My da always said there were three C's of driving - Care, Courtesy and Consideration.

Sometimes I think there is a fourth.

javaboy

lisajane wrote: »

Does flashing lights at someone mean anything?

Once for yes, twice for no.

MarkR

I was initially sympathetic to the OP, but there's no need for name calling. I can't see how you can drive for 2+ years in Ireland and not know what flashing lights is usually for. You must be completely oblivious to the world around you.

rebel.ranter

anto-t wrote: »

i bet ya she drives a micra!!!!!!!111!!!

I vote for Fiesta...with fog light on.......permanently.

lightening

lisajane wrote: »

To all those ass-holes that wrote that that the driver was trying to be courteous

If fairness, you came on here, confused and asking a question and I am one of those "ass-holes" that just tried to answer you, I did ask if the traffic was building up behind you, all you had to do was tell me (nicely) that it wasn't.

lisajane wrote: »

cause i must be stupid enough to have a 5 mile tail back behind me and was trying to be nice to clear the back log of traffic. I was turning right on a main road and i had the right road position

You neve explained this in your orginal post.

lisajane wrote: »

Flashing lights are just one of those things i hate.

Well, your just going to have to live with it.

Might I suggest that you go out with an experienced driver and he or she can explain the different situations one would find themselves in when lights are flashed at you.

For instance if you are doing a right hand turn and someone in the oncoming traffic slows down and flashes his/her lights at you, the experienced driver beside you could alleiviate your blinding confusion by saying:

"well lisajane, he/she is slowing down and flashing his/her lights, I reckon in my vast driving experience you can turn right."

or

"well lisajane, that guy is flashing his lights at us and coming directly towards us, maybe you are on the wrong side of the road."

--amadeus--

There's a quote I like;

"Never argue with an idiot. They'll drag you to their level and beat you with experience..."

View Profile

Oh people like lisajane make me mad!!

I dont know how many times ive slowed down to let an oncoming driver turn right in heavy traffic only for "her" (its always been a woman, sorry ladies) to sit there staring at me clueless-ly.

Most times it dosent click in her brain that im letting her go so I have to drive on instead. Feck her then, she can wait all day!!

As a bloody passenger in a car as a kid I understood what flashing meant.

I think OP is a bit dim.

De Hipster

I read the OP and the subsequent responses...I am still in shock at the query. Drivers of this level of 'lack of common courtesy road usage knowledge' do not deserve to be on our roads & show the huge lackings in the current driver training & testing systems in place.