MMMWTK: Do you like to flash at people? ;)

[Mikeymikemike]

Did a search, nothing came up, so anyway

If you see the popo, speed camera, booze bus, something dangerous, what ever else.

Do you flash your lights at on comming traffic to warn them?

When i see a speed camera, my flash button goes onto super-hyper-mode! and for the next 2km im flashing lights like mad.

Reason for doing this is because others have warned me in the past and have saved my ass quite a few times.

are there laws for this stuff?

Regardless, ill keep doing it.

So... do you flash?

[Captain Starfish]

Flashing's naughty.

I would never admit to doing that kind of antisocial behaviour.

um.

Actually, I don't tend to flash for booze buses because I reckon if you're using my road pissed I want them to catch and hurt you.

Any other road hazard though, it's helping to keep people safe isn't it!?

[cath2791]

No idea if there are laws for this, but yes, i flash to let others know.
I'm the same, i've had my butt saved by people doing this to me, so I do the same in return.

[Dingo]

Apprently the rule is something like use of high beams in daylight hours or something pissweak like that

I always warn, whether on car or bike. That way ive done my bit to make the roads safer for 500-1000m, just like how the speed cameras do

[TRX]

cages no.
Bikes, the "Warn-a-brother" tap
Easy

[MADOGA]

It is illegal to flash head light warnings to other motorists, to warn them of police activity.

id never purposely break the law, but to often have a problem with accidently knocking my head light switch after passing a speed camera, totaly accidental of course!

[shmoo]

I suppose they could also get you for "failing to dip headlights within 200m of oncoming vehicle". That old chestnut.

[Fastgirl]

Yep I do. It is illegal...but I do have a nervous twitch that accidentally flicks the lever....totally involuntary....whenever I see a revenue raiser.

[kyliejane]

yep

and have had my arse saved a few times too

[Darkbyte]

+1 for the passing on the message to watch out for potential hazzards (not a flasher tho) and having been saved a few times

[ENVEE 2]

does anyone hate it as much as me when your out on a country run somewhere, doing exactly what you rode out into the countrys deserted roads to do, and get the flash, only to slow down for the next 50k's and not see a cop??

[Brougham]

i posted this a few weeks ago in another thread - there was Q&A time in parliament a few years ago and the question was put to the Police Minister about this and she replied that whilst it IS illegal to flash your lights to warn of a camera ahead (a few things - interferring with police, failure to dip highbeams, unproper use of high beams), she clearly stated that since the "purpose" of the cameras is primarily to SLOW down drivers that police would GENERALLY NOT be inclined to fine drivers as by flashing their lights they are accomplishing the same thing that the cameras are intended to do - slowing down speeding drivers.

[Brougham]

found it:

It is an offence against Part II Section 20 of the Police Act 1892 to hinder police in their duties. It is also an offence against Regulation 185 of the Road Traffic Code 2000 to use headlights on high beam within 200 metres behind a vehicle or an oncoming vehicle. The Police Service advise that in the case of speed camera operations, unless motorists’ safety is at risk, they do not prosecute as the safety message of slowing down motorists is the ultimate goal.

[Sunshine & F'n Rainbows]

Booze bus? No. Speed trap in a location clearly designed to trap people doing safe (even if above the posted limit) speeds? Definitely.

[xphread]

Well I got flashed by concerned Mr Police (Jr?) who was kindly warning me of some "impending danger" this morning.

Cruise control on the freeway heading north. Needle was sitting just on the top of the mark for 100.
Given the rough calibration against the speed indicator/display setups main roads and the police have set up in the past, that means I was actually a few kms under 100.

I glance in my rear vision mirror as part of the routine/continuous mirror checking to see a white corolla about 100m behind me doing easy >130 approaching rapidly from behind.
Then I notice from a glimpse of orange on the bonnet its a marked police car with no lights.
I was about to pull back into the middle lane anyway as I had almost completed passing someone doing about 95 when he starts wildly flashing high beam... so I assumed he was in a hurry to somewhere important.

Pulled into the middle lane expecting him to go flying past me....
next thing I see a very unstable looking car next to me, heavy on the brakes with a uniformed officer angrily mouthing something close to "slow down" I assume, and doing the flat palm down wave action to go with his performance...

At that point I was more scared of him drifting into my lane since the car wasnt very steady and he wasnt looking where he was going.

My natural reaction was lifting my shoulders and looking surprised mouthing "what?" and looking at my cruise control speedo still at 102kph.
I think he kinda was pissed off at that and pulled behind me and followed me for a while before I turned off.


So thankyou for the warning Mr officer. I loved being told to "slow down" by someone doing >30kph over the limit, not looking where they are heading, in a car that looks like its barely stable. I assume the flashing of high beams was your warning that there was danger nearby.... even if it was behind me and approaching....

tool. [/rant]