Using hazard lights to say "Thank You"?

kevin0410

prowla wrote: »

Flashing your brake lights is achieved by putting your foot on the brake pedal, which also has the effect of slowing the car down

Actually, you can activate the brake lights without actually braking

gaz_jones

kevin0410 wrote: »

Actually, you can activate the brake lights without actually braking

How out of interest? Do you mean by feathering the brake pedal? Technically your still braking just not very hard.

Dave101t

id say feathering the brake pedal to say thanks is a stupid idea, no matter how lightly you do it.

you could light up the rear lights by briefly turning on the side lights on and off. this way only the front side lights will illuminate too, as opposed to the headlights, so people in front wont notice (in daylight).

i click the hazard light once to say thanks, only if the guy behind is in a high vehicle so wouldnt see a hand wave through the glass.

Dave101t

Originally Posted by oldagetraveller

You're lucky to get a thanks of any sort these days. I doubt common courtesy is taught to new drivers now? They're too busy peering into the fog through their "designer" sunglasses! Yes, you know who you are.


i actually find courtesy lacking in the older generation, could be something to do with the 'easy' tests they took as youngsters, but thats for another thread i think!

goldspanners

as far as im aware this all started in the olden days long long ago, before we had good headlights, lorry drivers used to flash thier full beam to illuminate more of the road and to let the passing lorry know he was far enough in front to allow him to pull in safely.
this was before lorries had loads of marker lights on them, when its dark and towing a trailer with no marker lights its impossible to see the end of your trailer,so a flash in helped a lot.
the tradition has just carried on, well by some.
i will always use my hazard lights to say thank you, for the simple reason that in both my van and car the indicators will flash a minimum of 3 times so when ive done the "indicator wiggle" to say thank you the last side i indicated will flash 3 times, this could cause more confussion to other road users than 1 flash of the hazards.
as a driver surely you should be able to read the road and tell whether the driver is using his hazards to say thank you or if he is actually slowing down and about to be an actual hazard. other drivers will always see your hazards, they wont always see you waving. it only takes a second for your hazards to flash on and then off again, and most hazard switches are mounted in easy to access positions on the dashboard,so you will hardly be hunting around for the switch.

Throbbe

To avoid confusion I generally use a wave BUT waggle the indicators for LGV's as they a) possibly wouldn't see my hand from their higher driving position, and b) recognise the signal for what it is anyway.

My personal favourite signal is when an oncoming car flashes me through a narrow obstruction. "Thank you for letting me through this narrow gap, and to indicate my gratitude I shall carry out this potentially hazardous manouvre with one hand on the wheel while staring straight at you, waving and grinning like an idiot*."





* NB May have been stolen from Rob Newman.

hewhoisnotintheknow

i have a ANPR system on board, anyone who i need to thank gets a card in the post no less than 14 days after the event

Reggie_Rebel

I thought everyone knew that hazard lights allow you to park anywhere you like when activated.

This especially applies to fat women in 4x4's dropping their kids off directly outside the school gates to save them walking the 200 yards from their house

MaximumImpact

i have a ANPR system on board, anyone who i need to thank gets a card in the post no less than 14 days after the event

:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

Katie-Kat-Kins

Debt_Free_Chick wrote: »

The problem with using any of your lights to say "Thank You" is that it's open to misunderstanding.

You "use your lights" and what do other drivers think you mean .....?

Headlight flash - do you mean "look out" or do you mean "OK to pull out, pull in, turn or whatever" ?

Hazard flash - do you mean "look out" or do you mean "thank you"

Brake lights flash - do you mean "I'm stopping" or do you mean "thank you" or "back off"?

It's simply far safer to use the hand to say "thanks" and leave the lights to serve the purpose for which they were originally intended .... IMHO

Exactly!

If someone can't see my wave then tough - you don't drive with the sole purpose of collecting brownie points in the form of thanks from other road users. You should drive courteously whether you get thanks or not.

Accidents have been caused by misinterpretation of informal light signals. If I flash near a junction am I letting you out, warning you I'm here, signalling to a pedestrian or another road user??? If you pull out and I hit you whose fault is it???? YOURS!

My personal peeve is the people who take offence when they flash me out and I decide that I'd actually like to wait and make sure the way is clear myself. Flashing someone out is highly dangerous.