(Untitled)

[barenakedjanie]

I was thinking about something as I was doing my daily commute on the thruway. When I was young, I learned the art of alerting oncoming traffic to police laying in wait by flashing your brights. I was taught that it was a courtesy, hopefully returned somewhere up the road, preventing you from getting a speeding ticket. Drivers united against The

Comments

[spectralbovine]

Hm. I don't think I've ever seen this done, but it sounds familiar.

[barenakedjanie]

Are you more a driver or a public transit user?

[spectralbovine]

Both.

[airbefore]

I learned that practice, as well. I employed it until I was got a ticket from a cop in an unmarked car for doing it. It is apparently illegal in my little corner of the world. Bastards.

[barenakedjanie]

You should have told him it was a new car and you were trying to figure out how to clean your windows.

[cmbarrytx]

That's what I was gonna say, minus the ticket part

[scripted22]

I learned that too, and I remember when it was a common thing. But I don't think I have seen anyone do that in years. Speed traps are very uncommon around here nowadays, though. And if you see a cop driving around, chances are he's concentrating on his cell phone conversation and not paying attention to you.

We also flashed lights at oncoming cars that had their lights off at night. I still do that, although I wonder if everyone knows what that means since it only seems to work once in a while.

[smrou]

We also flashed lights at oncoming cars that had their lights off at night. I still do that, although I wonder if everyone knows what that means since it only seems to work once in a while.
Yeah, about the only reason I flash lights at people (I either turn my lights on and back off or I flash my brights) is to let people know that their lights should be on (someetimes at night--sometimes when it's raining and dark, because people are freaking MORONS and don't turn their lights on when it's raining and it drives me bonkers), but people almost never respond by turning their lights on, so they probably think I'm warning them about a cop up ahead. Oh well.

[annabelleonyx]

When I see someone flash their lights at me I assume that I either have my brights on or that there is a cop somewhere.

I had no idea that it was illegal.

[arbitrarium]

Yeah, I would think it was a signal that my brights were on. I've never heard of it being a signal that a cop is nearby at all.

[adinarj]

I knew about it, and use it occasionally, but I've also heard that it's illegal.