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I made the classic mistake today. Came up to a T junction with a give way sign wanting to turn left. Stream of cars coming from my right so resigned to a longish wait. About the fifth car in the stream flashed his headlamps so I thought "What a kind gentleman, he's letting me out". You've all guessed the rest; he was of course flashing his lights in greeting to a friend coming the other way. I moved out, fortunately there was nothing more than curses and rude gestures from him. Perhaps it really is time we all obeyed the rules about headlamp flashing!
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Yes,I quite often wait until they flash a second time just to make sure,especially if eye contact cannot be made.
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The Highway Code covers this:
Rule 91: If another driver flashes his headlights never assume that it is a signal to go. Use your own judgement and proceed carefully. but we all, at some time, follow the unwritten rule of given precedence.
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As sierraman said, - eye contact is important.
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TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
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If you are close enough for eye contact, then nothing beats an old-fashioned hand signal. You know the gesture one makes when two of you arrive at a door or the foot of the stairs at the same time - a sort of open palm movement that says, "you go first, please"
That seems to work a treat in the circumstances described, and is absolutely unabiguous.
The other driver gives a friendly nod and a cursory wave, and both then feel pleased and get a little glow inside from having behaved like decent human beings instead of resorting to road rage.
Perhaps we use hand signs more in the country? I spend a lot of time on narrow single-track roads and am constantly waving, or acknowledging other people's courtesies.
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The other driver gives a friendly nod and a cursory wave..
If only this were true for the majority rather than the minority of the time when being courteous to others on the road.
I've lost count of the number of people I've obliged on the road recently who in response haven't even cracked a smile, never mind actually going to the effort of nodding or waving back!
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NEVER EVER flash your lights as a signal to proceed unless you are a lorry driver flashing at another lorry driver and you have your own code. A flash of headlights from a car driver is a warning and nothing but a warning. Just like a honk of the horn is a warning and NOT a rebuke. Let's not get confused out there.
HJ
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Hi i have experienced a similar thing.The road in front of the junction to our road has had speed bumps instaled and the motion of vehicles traveling over the bumps causes the lights to flash to date this has already caused one acident.
regards paul
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Especially true of Xenons.
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NEVER EVER flash your lights as a signal to proceed
I think that's nearly always true, but not in this case:
Long stretch of narrow country road, with passing places every few hundred yards. At night, two cars each stop in their nearest passing place, and hesitate. If one goes forward, the chances are the other will too, so stalemate. Usually one flashes first, so the other proceeds.
I cannot see what the risk is of misinterpretation - the cars are a long way apart. What alternative is there? Do you both go, and meet at a point where it is impossible to pass?
Or do you both sit there indefinitely feeling silly, waiting for divine intervention to help resolve a very simple problem?
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I cannot see what the risk is of misinterpretation - the cars are a long way apart. What alternative is there?
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Maybe swich off dips to indicate you are parking?
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If I was giving way to a hesitant driver I'd put on my indicators to show I was pulling into the passing place.
And switch off my headlights if it was legal to do so.
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I wasna fu but just had plenty.
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Turning the lights out briefly is a good idea, although of course illegal in the unlit countryside.
It's not necessarily that one driver is hesitant - both hesitate before embarking on a move that may only end in having to reverse a considerable distance along an unlit road. They need a way of communicating. Flashing lights is the commonly accepted way of doing this, but I accept that dimming them would be even better.
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Turning the lights out briefly is a good idea, although of course illegal in the unlit countryside.
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I suggested switching off dips not sidelights/parking lights. Is this illegal if you have pulled over and stopped/parked?
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I suggested switching off dips not sidelights/parking lights. Is this illegal if you have pulled over and stopped/parked?
No, of course you are right, I misread. It's a bit academic - no one's likely to be around to book for a 2-second infringement. Probably "parking" in a passing place is itself an offence.
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