Flashing headlights to pass...is it illegal?
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From: Charlotte, NC
Originally Posted by gosixers215,Aug 19 2006, 09:45 AM
I don't THINK it's illegal, but widely regarded as a dick move.
Joined: Dec 2001
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From: Kuna Idaho
Originally Posted by gosixers215,Aug 19 2006, 11:45 AM
I don't THINK it's illegal, but widely regarded as a dick move.
If I see someone coming on a multiple lane road, I will get out of the way. If I am doing the speed limit on a single lane road, then they need to go around, sorry.
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Joined: Jun 2001
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From: Queens, NY
So I finally heard back from my friensd regarding this topic and here is what he had to say:
I was taught in high school drivers ed. that it is illegal to use your highbeems for vehicles within 500 feet and that by extention, it was illegal to do so behind a car, as it would render a similar effect on opposing traffic, such as temporary blindness by reflection in all rear view mirrors.
Now, even police officers understand that this is an unwritten rule that the left hand lane in two-or-more lane highway is for passing (speeding), and therefore meant for the fastest cars on the road. But even if the flashing of lights was legal in your state, there is no precedent to force other cars do something such as violate the speed limit to get out of your way.
Let us say, for instance, there was a long wall of cars to your right, and the person in front of you is doing 66 in a 65. There is no judge in the land who would dismiss the ticket for the person in front that got a ticket for speeding up to 72 mph based on the explanation that they were trying to accomodate the driver behind them who was flashing his/her lights and eager to pass. (For arguement's sake only: I know no one gets a real ticket for 72 in a 65 zone.) Would you want to be forced to do 85 if you were doing 75 just to get out of someones way? If the answer is realistically no, then legal or not in your state, it is an unrealistic expectation that someone should be forced in to responding to the flashing headlights in such a manner, regardless of legality of the flashing brights.
Again, I know that one might have drinks on a regular basis with a buddy who is a cop that might tell you that they would never pull someone over for flashing their lights, but in a court of law, all lanes but the left are for cars going under 65, and the left lane is for passing cars STILL going 65. The left lane is not some sort of legal safe-passage for speeding, even though we all us it as such. You may not get pulled over for driving 72 in a 65, but there is no precedent or allowance for cars going over the speed limit in a (traffic) court of law regardless of which lane they are in.
I believe that the tough truth is, it may not be illegal in your state to flash your high beams, but there is no legal precedent for responding to flashing headlights. Sometimes, the best thing a driver in the front can do is ignore the urgency of the flashing highbeams, and move over at ones convenience. It is the safest and legal thing to do.
[What if one responded hastily to the oncoming flashing lights in the left hand lane behind them and got rear-ended by another driver in their haste to get out of the way by someone in the middle lane? You would be kicking yourself for not ignoring them.]
Furthermore, if some other measureable offence was committed in the act of either tailgating, or flashing of ones lights, no judge would dismiss your offence when the person behind says, "your honor, before I ran into the back of that car, I flashed my highbeams, and they just would not get out of my way". If your judge clears you of any liability, perhaps it is the judge with whom you are having drinks after hours and not the police officer.
Thanks for reading my stuff...
-------------------------------------------------------
Thought I'd share,
Warren
I was taught in high school drivers ed. that it is illegal to use your highbeems for vehicles within 500 feet and that by extention, it was illegal to do so behind a car, as it would render a similar effect on opposing traffic, such as temporary blindness by reflection in all rear view mirrors.
Now, even police officers understand that this is an unwritten rule that the left hand lane in two-or-more lane highway is for passing (speeding), and therefore meant for the fastest cars on the road. But even if the flashing of lights was legal in your state, there is no precedent to force other cars do something such as violate the speed limit to get out of your way.
Let us say, for instance, there was a long wall of cars to your right, and the person in front of you is doing 66 in a 65. There is no judge in the land who would dismiss the ticket for the person in front that got a ticket for speeding up to 72 mph based on the explanation that they were trying to accomodate the driver behind them who was flashing his/her lights and eager to pass. (For arguement's sake only: I know no one gets a real ticket for 72 in a 65 zone.) Would you want to be forced to do 85 if you were doing 75 just to get out of someones way? If the answer is realistically no, then legal or not in your state, it is an unrealistic expectation that someone should be forced in to responding to the flashing headlights in such a manner, regardless of legality of the flashing brights.
Again, I know that one might have drinks on a regular basis with a buddy who is a cop that might tell you that they would never pull someone over for flashing their lights, but in a court of law, all lanes but the left are for cars going under 65, and the left lane is for passing cars STILL going 65. The left lane is not some sort of legal safe-passage for speeding, even though we all us it as such. You may not get pulled over for driving 72 in a 65, but there is no precedent or allowance for cars going over the speed limit in a (traffic) court of law regardless of which lane they are in.
I believe that the tough truth is, it may not be illegal in your state to flash your high beams, but there is no legal precedent for responding to flashing headlights. Sometimes, the best thing a driver in the front can do is ignore the urgency of the flashing highbeams, and move over at ones convenience. It is the safest and legal thing to do.
[What if one responded hastily to the oncoming flashing lights in the left hand lane behind them and got rear-ended by another driver in their haste to get out of the way by someone in the middle lane? You would be kicking yourself for not ignoring them.]
Furthermore, if some other measureable offence was committed in the act of either tailgating, or flashing of ones lights, no judge would dismiss your offence when the person behind says, "your honor, before I ran into the back of that car, I flashed my highbeams, and they just would not get out of my way". If your judge clears you of any liability, perhaps it is the judge with whom you are having drinks after hours and not the police officer.
Thanks for reading my stuff...
-------------------------------------------------------
Thought I'd share,
Warren
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From: denver
Originally Posted by THEOLDMAN,Aug 20 2006, 04:57 AM
Rude yes, illegal no.
how is flashng your head lights rude? be large and just let the guy pass.
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