In the thread about truckers, the topic drifted into the conventions for signalling intent (other than turn signals) that are common courtesy on the roads.
Such as...
- flashing your headlamps while in the left lane upon seeing a vehicle ahead and to the right needing to pass a third vehicle ahead of him means "go ahead and pull in front of me to make your pass, I'm not overtaking you that fast."
- A flash of the headlamps if you're in the left lane and a vehicle is passing you on the left means "you're clear to pull to the right in front of me."
- A flash of the running lights means "thank you"
- A couple of rapid flashes of the high beams while approching a vehicle in the left lane from behind means "please pull right, I need to pass you" (most often ignored these days, may often result in a brake-check from idiots who feel like they own the left lane).
Which also led to the discussion of "mixed messages." that can result. One of those that seems to be getting more and more common, and is driving me bat-poop crazy, is people turning on their hazard flashers in the rain.
OK, I understand that if you're on the freeway running 70 and you encounter a hard rain squall and have to slow, it is beneficial to let people behind you know so that you don't get a chain-reaction pileup. I tend to try to tap my brakes repeatedly while slowing to flash the brake lamps and draw attention, but you can't always do that and so using the flashers *briefly* as you slow may be appropriate... but people have started flipping them on in heavy rain and just driving along for miles that way. HORRIBLY mixed signals! There's no emergency, you're moving at the (reduced) flow of traffic so turn the dang flashers off! Furthermore on many vehicles, the flashers override the brake lamps other than the center high-mount, so your brake signalling capacity is either gone or reduced.
Other examples? Am I dead wrong on that?
Such as...
- flashing your headlamps while in the left lane upon seeing a vehicle ahead and to the right needing to pass a third vehicle ahead of him means "go ahead and pull in front of me to make your pass, I'm not overtaking you that fast."
- A flash of the headlamps if you're in the left lane and a vehicle is passing you on the left means "you're clear to pull to the right in front of me."
- A flash of the running lights means "thank you"
- A couple of rapid flashes of the high beams while approching a vehicle in the left lane from behind means "please pull right, I need to pass you" (most often ignored these days, may often result in a brake-check from idiots who feel like they own the left lane).
Which also led to the discussion of "mixed messages." that can result. One of those that seems to be getting more and more common, and is driving me bat-poop crazy, is people turning on their hazard flashers in the rain.
OK, I understand that if you're on the freeway running 70 and you encounter a hard rain squall and have to slow, it is beneficial to let people behind you know so that you don't get a chain-reaction pileup. I tend to try to tap my brakes repeatedly while slowing to flash the brake lamps and draw attention, but you can't always do that and so using the flashers *briefly* as you slow may be appropriate... but people have started flipping them on in heavy rain and just driving along for miles that way. HORRIBLY mixed signals! There's no emergency, you're moving at the (reduced) flow of traffic so turn the dang flashers off! Furthermore on many vehicles, the flashers override the brake lamps other than the center high-mount, so your brake signalling capacity is either gone or reduced.
Other examples? Am I dead wrong on that?
