Poll: Is it unethical to flashing lights to warn of speed trap

[radiobrain]

I was just thinking of this aspect. A few months ago, we drove through Chicago. We were the ones that were going to cause an accident by going the speed limit. Even the police officers were passing by us, giving us weird looks. All the speeders around us didn't even blink an eye at the police officers keeping up with them. I didn't see anyone get pulled over. For the most part, people were going 15-20 miles OVER the speed limit. It was absolutely insane. And to think I have to go back to Chicago again in a few months. It's kinda scary. Indianapolis has better drivers, lemme tell ya.

 

 

HAAHA! I am from Chicago, and that is exactly what I was talking about.:D My husband cannot drive in the city. Whenever we go home, I am THE DRIVER... as not only do I know where I am going, but I know how to drive in that situation. Here's the thing. I don't drive like that in the city I live in. But if I am in NYC or Chicago, I switch it back on or I will get rear-ended or never be able to merge or turn left. ;)

 

Let's just say that I am also the one who drives in the snow too.

[smrtmama]

I don't care if it's ethical or not. I don't do it because my husband's a cop.

[NanceXToo]

Guess I'm unfriendly then.

 

If you say so!

 

I didn't. <shrug>

 

Just because I said it was a friendly thing to do, didn't mean I was saying not doing it was unfriendly. I couldn't care less if you don't do it!

[NanceXToo]

What makes this law different from others? Especially when higher speeds lead to more serious accidents. In what way is speeding different from driving whilst drunk (illegal, causes death) or having bald tyres (illegal, causes death)? I wouldn't protect someone from prosecution in those cases; why should I for speeding?

 

Laura

 

Really? Are you THAT perfect, or THAT holier than thou? You never drive one mile over the speed limit? And if not, because you don't, people who think it's not a big deal to drive a few miles over (which most people do and which most cops, most of the time, DO accept, by the way), you get this preachy and passionate about it? Seriously? Someone driving, say, 65 in a 55 is as bad as drunk driving?

 

Okay. I'm not going to war with you over it or anything. Drive as slow as you want to! Flash, don't flash, whatever.

[StaceyinLA]

Speeding has been put in a category with driving drunk. I mean, you can go 5 miles over the speed limit and you aren't likely being a reckless idiot. Yes, you ARE speeding, but are you really as much of a danger as someone who is intoxicated? Sorry, but I think not.

 

I think speed traps are crummy. We have an area where within ONE MILE, the speed goes from 65 to 55 to 45 to 35. Seriously? If it's safe to drive 65 on that SAME road 50 feet before, how is it suddenly criminal activity to be going 60 where it drops to 55? Sorry. I just don't consider this jail-worthy.

[Laura Corin]

There are some areas of the country where EVERYONE drives a certain amount over the speed limit and if you adhere to the posted speed limit YOU are the one who impede the flow of traffic or might cause an accident. People would probably flash their lights and certain fingers at you.

 

... the police would not set up a trap.

 

Laura

[LauraGB]

It's common courtesy! :D

 

:iagree: My dad drove semi across the country and back for my whole life - I didn't realize I wasn't supposed to do this until about 8 years ago. I was kind of surprised. I still do it occasionally, though, but not if they are racing down the road at 90mph or something stupid like that.

[GraciebytheBay]

It is amazing that there are people here who never speed! I certainly don't set out to go over the speed limit, but I occasionally do look down at the speedometer and utter, "Whoooa, Nellie!" (my mother's phrase!) and put the break on. I admire those who can keep track every single moment.

 

As far as flashing lights, I have always appreciated the gesture from others, even if I don't need to slow down. We're all in this together, and most people are not dangerous drivers. (Some are, of course, and in that case, they'll hopefully get caught soon enough.) Slowing down is a safe thing, regardless of the reason. A little kindness passed on to the next guy is never a bad thing.

[mommaduck]

Yes, I flash. I flash for speed traps, I flash for lights that are off, I flash for highbeams, I flash if there is an obstacle or some emergency or road work coming up. My husband used to work road crew. Flashing helps keep people safe. Consider it communal responsibility.

[MamaT]

And fwiw, they don't seem to do it here. (FL) They did back home in Nebraska, but I was familiar enough with the areas I drove that I always knew what the speed limit was.

 

I lived in FL until just a few years ago and certainly knew what flashing lights meant.

 

I appreciate it when people flash at me, and flash at others when I need to.

[DarlaS]

The speed limit was set at 55 mph during the oil embargo of the 70's to conserve oil. It was never intended to be a safety measure, and that's why it's been raised in many areas. They're finding it doesn't really keep people safer (not like you'd think anyway).

[Gwenhwyfar]

But presumably in those cases......

There are some areas of the country where EVERYONE drives a certain amount over the speed limit and if you adhere to the posted speed limit YOU are the one who impede the flow of traffic or might cause an accident. People would probably flash their lights and certain fingers at you.

 

the police would not set up a trap.

 

Laura

 

..oh yes they will.

 

we've got an area here that everyone always flies through at about 20/30km over the limit - if you don't drive the same speed, you get blasted by others and run a high risk of causing an accident.

 

guess where the cops love to set up? yep.

[galtgrl]

Sometimes when I notice someone who's really flying along toward me - noticeably speeding-, I'll flash the lights even if there is no speed trap; they know what it means so they slow down, which is my goal.

If they ignore me, well, I guess they'll get caught when a speed trap IS there...and that's good too.

I agree with the folks who complain about some of the RIDICULOUS speed traps, though...we have one near us, and they're just revenue generators. It's NOT about safety in some cases.

[Daisy]

If you say so!

 

I didn't. <shrug>

 

Just because I said it was a friendly thing to do, didn't mean I was saying not doing it was unfriendly. I couldn't care less if you don't do it!

 

I'm not at all upset. Just messing around. ;)

 

I'm just sick and tired of having people drive like maniacs around here. Not a block from my house a lady was the victim of a hit and run 4 days ago. She was on the SIDEWALK. She is in critical condition. Frankly, I wish more of them would get pulled over.

 

On the flip side, I know how difficult it is to maintain the speed limit on an endless country road when you just want to get home. But I've seen what my brother's car looked like when he decided to "just get home" and hit a deer instead.

[LauraGB]

But I've seen what my brother's car looked like when he decided to "just get home" and hit a deer instead.

 

Oh! I flash for that, too. Either way, a flash means "Slow down, man!" and hopefully that helps someone either not get a speeding ticket or avoid a meandering herd of deer.

 

Hope your brother was okay!

[dripdripsplat]

I voted other, just 'cause I didn't feel that either answer was really for me.

 

I disagree with speed traps. If you have to "hide" your patrol car to catch speeders and meet your quota, then you're not trying. In our town, speeders have a lot of nerve and speed past patrol cars all the time. Even so, we still have speed traps. Come on! Just drive around town and find the speeders already!!

 

On the other hand, we really shouldn't be speeding. And I didn't care much about speeding until I was having a conversation with my kids about driving and what the different road signs meant. We were discussing the speed limits, when my son pointed out to my daughter that the speed limit signs were always wrong, and showed you 15 miles under the actual speed limit. They then proceeded to stare at my odometer for the rest of the trip, so he could show her how I was always over by 15. :glare:

[tex-mex]

It's common courtesy! :D

Quite common from where I come from too... ;) also a way to say thank you if needed.

[danybug]

I always flash mine as a common courtesy. But it does always cross my mind that it might be bad karma or something. I also flash mine if I have seen deer or any other issue to make others aware of.

[Laura Corin]

Really? Are you THAT perfect, or THAT holier than thou? You never drive one mile over the speed limit? And if not, because you don't, people who think it's not a big deal to drive a few miles over (which most people do and which most cops, most of the time, DO accept, by the way), you get this preachy and passionate about it? Seriously? Someone driving, say, 65 in a 55 is as bad as drunk driving?

 

Okay. I'm not going to war with you over it or anything. Drive as slow as you want to! Flash, don't flash, whatever.

 

Yes, I don't speed. It's a fact.

 

It is also a fact that accidents at higher speeds cause more damage to people. I think that's worth being passionate about.

 

Laura

[stephanier.1765]

And fwiw, they don't seem to do it here. (FL) .

 

I'm in Florida and I was just flashing my lights yesterday to warn people.

[Ellie]

See, I wouldn't even know what that meant. Never heard of doing that before.:tongue_smilie:

[HRAAB]

If it was night and someone flashed their brights at me, I would think it was to warn me that my brights were on or I didn't have my lights on. That's what I thought that meant. I wouldn't even think about my speed.

[pqr]

If the speed limit is in place I figure there is a reason for it.

 

Seems to me that it is a means of generating funds. The IS highways were designed for 70 mph if a State still holds 55 mph there is a part of me that says it is to generate funds and not about safety.

[Miss Peregrine]

Seems to me that it is a means of generating funds. The IS highways were designed for 70 mph if a State still holds 55 mph there is a part of me that says it is to generate funds and not about safety.

 

I always thought that speed limits, at least partially, were set to meet emissions standards.

[hsbaby]

I do it....guilt free! Sometimes I will do it even if there is not a cop if someone is going ridiculously fast....particularly on those two lane back roads!!

[Scarlett]

I flash my lights sometimes. I am married to a CHP officer. :D

 

Hee hee. Now that's funny.

[cjbeach]

My small town has one of the strictest police officers. Ever. They are famous for doing things like making chalk lines on tires outside of the few bars in the area then pulling those cars over. They commonly search most cars during a stop. Crazy stuff. So around here people do that consantly.

And from doing the NJ-FL drive a ton of timeson I95, it's very common in the more desolate areas of the Carolinas and VA.

[HollyB]

I flash to warn drivers of deer more than I warn of the police. I hate driving at night because there are so many deer, and I always appreciate when someone warns me.

[Barry Goldwater]

My small town has one of the strictest police officers. Ever. They are famous for doing things like making chalk lines on tires outside of the few bars in the area then pulling those cars over. They commonly search most cars during a stop. Crazy stuff. So around here people do that consantly.

And from doing the NJ-FL drive a ton of timeson I95, it's very common in the more desolate areas of the Carolinas and VA.

 

Wow...sounds like a 'police state.'

[Jean in Newcastle]

If it was night and someone flashed their brights at me, I would think it was to warn me that my brights were on or I didn't have my lights on. That's what I thought that meant. I wouldn't even think about my speed.

 

I don't flash my lights at night. Not too long ago it was a gang initiation rite to kill the first driver to flash their lights at you to tell you that your lights were off. I don't know if they still have that rite and I don't want to find out.

[LauraGB]

I don't flash my lights at night. Not too long ago it was a gang initiation rite to kill the first driver to flash their lights at you to tell you that your lights were off. I don't know if they still have that rite and I don't want to find out.

 

That's exactly how I found it it wasn't legal 8 years ago. (No, I wasn't a victim, but the person who was made the news and that's how I found out)

[Joker]

I don't flash my lights at night. Not too long ago it was a gang initiation rite to kill the first driver to flash their lights at you to tell you that your lights were off. I don't know if they still have that rite and I don't want to find out.

 

I've looked this up on Snopes.com before and it said it was false. I'm off to look up again.

[Gwenhwyfar]

I don't flash my lights at night. Not too long ago it was a gang initiation rite to kill the first driver to flash their lights at you to tell you that your lights were off. I don't know if they still have that rite and I don't want to find out.

 

urban legend ;)

[LauraGB]

urban legend ;)

 

How in the world could they possibly know what happens in every little pocket of every single gang across the land? I remember the incident very clearly (not a lot of these sorts of things happening in my neck of the woods) so the only alternative was that the police and local news was fibbing. Could be, I suppose. But I'm not sure I'd rely on Urban Legend entirely.

[Miss Sherry]

I think it only encourages people to slow down just long enough to get past the police officers and then speed back up again. If they get a ticket they may be more inclined to make driving the speed limit a habit.

 

Have you ever seen a person all mangled up or their guts or brain matter strewn all over the road due to a bad accident ? Cars can be deadly when misused. A speeding ticket is not such a bad price to pay if it keeps people from causing others to be injured or killed in accidents.

[Jean in Newcastle]

I've looked this up on Snopes.com before and it said it was false. I'm off to look up again.

 

OK - I googled and found multiple hits saying that it was false. I could have sworn that I first saw it in the newspaper. . . Oh well, I guess that's how these legends keep going, they seem so real!

[Gwenhwyfar]

How in the world could they possibly know what happens in every little pocket of every single gang across the land? I remember the incident very clearly (not a lot of these sorts of things happening in my neck of the woods) so the only alternative was that the police and local news was fibbing. Could be, I suppose. But I'm not sure I'd rely on Urban Legend entirely.

 

i suppose they couldn't....but i remembered hearing the same sort of stories - in an entirely different country than you. (it's also possible that someone actually copy-catted the original story, know what i mean?)

[Pretty in Pink]

I have flashed my lights to warn other drivers of a speed trap, and I appreciate the heads up from other drivers. That said, it is simply encouraging other drivers not to get caught breaking the law. It doesn't seem ethical to me.

[Peela]

Here, speed traps are advertised in the newspaper, and I think on some radio stations. The police like to give us the heads up anyway. I think flashing lights is illegal here...but I do it if I think of it.

[IsabelC]

I flash at random times when there isn't a speed trap. :auto:

[BethInNH]

If you think that the speed limit is incorrect, then perhaps you should lobby to get it changed. If you think that the speed limit is correct, by flashing you are allowing people to avoid punishment for breaking the law. Perhaps being caught is exactly what they need to stop them causing an accident next time by careless speeding.

 

FWIW, husband was caught for speeding last year. He broke the law and paid his fine. He was wrong and accepted it.

 

ETA: an example. I was going through a school 20mph zone and spotted a policeman. A driver passed me heading into the zone at speed. Five minutes later I came back through the zone and the speeding driver had been caught by the police. Had I flashed him, he might have killed a child the next day, because he would have escaped the wake-up call. As it was, he has a fine and points on his licence. And he just might think twice.

 

Laura

:iagree:

I hope I don't come across as a fuddy-duddy, but...I think if someone is driving too fast (and by too fast I mean over the speed limit), then they should pay the consequences for their actions.

Speeding drivers cause accidents, and sometimes deaths. What's the big hurry anyways? Slow down, enjoy life, and get where your going alive.:)

[Gwenhwyfar]

I flash at random times when there isn't a speed trap. :auto:

 

this would be me. mainly cuz i haven't figured out the diff lights in the truck yet. :tongue_smilie:

[BethInNH]

I don't speed and I laugh with glee when speeders get caught. :D

:lol::lol: Me too!!!

[Forget-Me-Not]

Add me to the list of those who have NEVER heard of flashing brights to warn of police or deer. If someone flashed their brights at me I would check for my own brights or just assume they were being rude for some reason. DH says he's heard of it for deer but never for speed traps. We are in CA.

[Miss Sherry]

If I see a car driving in the dark with their lights off I flash my lights at them to let them know to turn on their lights.

Once, I flashed my lights at a police officer coming towards me and pointed to the car in front of me. The car in front of me had been swerving back and forth in the lane and varying their speed.I think they were DUI. The police car did a U turn and pulled them over. So I don't flash my lights to help people avoid the police, I flash my lights at the police to pull drunk drivers over.

[Jean in Newcastle]

I differentiate between moderate speeding (about 4 - 5 miles over) and aggressive driving (dodging from one lane to another, cutting people off, riding on their bumper etc.). Those people are extremely dangerous and I say a little prayer that they will be caught. The fines for aggressive driving are pretty high around here.

[Violet Crown]

Other. I used to do this driving across west Texas, with hours of flat, treeless land and a 55 mph limit. Everybody went over the limit, which was far too low but federally imposed. Sometimes there would be a speed trap behind an overpass embankment, and drivers would warn each other.

 

Now that the limit is a sane 80 mph, there aren't speed traps, and I wouldn't tip off a 100 mph driver if there were. :)

 

I did once have a driver on a twisty country road flash the classic "hook 'em horns" symbol at me. I thought we must have just won a game or something, and was quite startled to take the next turn and see a cow in the road.

[stephanier.1765]

I differentiate between moderate speeding (about 4 - 5 miles over) and aggressive driving (dodging from one lane to another, cutting people off, riding on their bumper etc.). Those people are extremely dangerous and I say a little prayer that they will be caught. The fines for aggressive driving are pretty high around here.

 

:iagree:That's my differentiation as well. Those aggressive drivers I hope get caught and think "that serves you right" when they do. Anyone else I think an empathetic sorry as I pass them by. That goes for those drivers broke down or in accidents as well.

[extendedforecast]

Other. I used to do this driving across west Texas, with hours of flat, treeless land and a 55 mph limit. Everybody went over the limit, which was far too low but federally imposed. Sometimes there would be a speed trap behind an overpass embankment, and drivers would warn each other.

 

Now that the limit is a sane 80 mph, there aren't speed traps, and I wouldn't tip off a 100 mph driver if there were. :)

 

I did once have a driver on a twisty country road flash the classic "hook 'em horns" symbol at me. I thought we must have just won a game or something, and was quite startled to take the next turn and see a cow in the road.

 

That's a new one I've never encountered. The longhorns won yesterday, btw, ;)

I've driven that stretch you're talking about many, many times; I got my one and only ticket in what I think was an unfair situation (see s/o thread).

[Jenny in Atl]

Speeding is actually one of the lesser causes of accidents, and I'm talking about people driving per the conditions on the road, not someone who disregards traffic, weather, and the lay of the land, wizzing by in his BMW.

 

These are some of the top causes of accidents:

 

Unsafe Lane Changing

Distracted Drivers (cell phones, putting on makeup, etc)

Driver Fatigue

Drunk Driving

Equipment Failure (brakes, tires, etc)

Poor Roadway Maintenance (as well as road construction)

Weather

Tailgating (Aggressive Drivers)

 

In my area speed traps are there for $$ only. They pop up at the end of the month like clock work. Rarely do I see are traps/police on some of our more dangerous roads, in which speeding is rarely an issue, but aggressive driving is.