Driving Lesson - Flashing Headlights

negg

Apparently in the past, it has been commonly used as an insurance scam where car A will flash the headlights, car B takes it as an invitation to manovere, as car B goes to pull out, car A does too, and they collide. Driver of car A then claims on driver B's insurance, insisting if questioned about the "flash" that he flashed at car B to "warn them of my presence".

Especially true of taxi drivers who flash or wave you out when it is their right of way, then - oops - crash. Then they claim insurance for the vehicle off your insurance, plus injury claim and time off work. Never, ever, allow this to happen. Sit and wait. Pretend to change the radio station. Wait until they go to somebody else who'll get the problem.

marleyboy

tandraig wrote: »

am even more confused now - so as a pedestrian i am supposed to assume you are 'on your ipod' surely thats against the law
and a flashing of headlight means you arent going to stop? really? what driving school did you graduate from?

As a pedestrian, a flashing light on an approaching vehicle, would cause me to assume they arent going to stop and I would not make it across the road in time, from a greater distance of the driver having to sound their horn and it their brakes.

i can calculate that ?- what you assume i am Einstien?

i have already said that as a pedestrian i wait until the car comes to a stop - most drivers then use a hand motion that indicates 'ok cross'
as to the posts which say beware of people flashing you out cos they after insurance claims - may i add one more? as an accident claim advisor i can tell you to watch out in multi story car parks. a fave false claim is when you following some one out ( who disables his brake lights) brakes sharply and you run into back of them - you will find all his family were in car even tho you remember it as one person and then they all claim whiplash.

Put simply for you, "I" as in ME as a pedestrian, doesnt assume a flashing light or slowing vehicle is going to stop for ME. I the pedestrian on my Ipod, sees a car flash his lights and merely notices the car with its flashing light. I may or may not have noticed it prior, but for sure I have now.

Thats not rocket science, the driver may not even be flashing at me, its just another car on a busy road to me.

I won't cross if a driver says I can with either his lights or arm signals, if for example another speeding vehicle is heading in the other direction. I make MY OWN judgements on when it is safe to cross a road, nobody else's.

Would you teach your kids to run across a road whenever a car flashes its lights or waves you across? Or would you teach them the meaning of the "green cross code" or the "Green Man" on the traffic lights?

tandraig

okay okay - i give up -
i do solemnly swear that in future, I will only cross the road at government approved crossing places, I will not do so if green man is on or flashing if there is a vehicle in the immediate vicinity. I will assume flashing headlights are either meant to convey that I am stopping/I am not stopping/hi mate just saw you hows your mum?/drat i hit the wrong lever i meant to indicate/or some other reason not remotely connected to driving. when walking along the pavement i will remain vigilant and expect a car to come along and mow me downnnnnnnnnnnn........................oh dear Ive frightened myself so much now i think i may develop agrophobia and not venture outdoors at all!!!

please dont take this seriously and start argueing or referring me to counsellor for agrophobia as I am just JOKING!

ER i really was one of those hated accident claim advisors for six months - taught me how to recognise a scam when i heard one if nothing else!

Pound

I've noticed on occasion that flashing lights sometimes causes drivers to think that it means it's safe to go. Once at a tricky junction I flashed my lights to signal to a driver that I was allowing him to pull out of a junction and in front of me, I watched him wave his hand in appreciation at me and pull right in front of a car coming in the opposite direction! It was though he forgot that he still had to give way to other traffic.

After two years of driving I decided to stop flashing other drivers as it so frequently causes confusion and increases the risk of accidents. If I want to give way I'll leave a gap and come to a stop and let other drivers make a decision about whether it's safe.

PasturesNew

I flash my lights for two reasons:
- as per the Highway Code "Hey, I am here", or "!!!!!! do you think you're doing you 'kin goon"
- when in very slow/stationary traffic, to let somebody pull out or pull across, I accompany this with direct eye contact, a nod, a smile and a wide arm gesticulation in the correct direction to them across the top of my dashboard.

But I'd never flash somebody who was waiting to turn in front of me no matter how badly they were placed in the road, unless I was letting them across because I was in slow-moving traffic and it wouldn't cause other drivers confusion over why I was suddenly slowing/braking. You have to think outside the box and think what everybody else will be assuming and expecting.

GrammarGirl

If I'm flashing to let someone out, I'll always accompany it with a wave. If someone is flashing me out, I wait for their wave and don't go if they don't give it.

I'd only flash as a warning if someone pulled out in front of me suddenly, causing me to brake. And then I'm more likely to be expressing anger and frustration than giving a friendly warning!