Four Way Flashers
 

I travel back and forth across the border a lot. Like multiple times per week.

Why do people find it necessary to put on their four ways to cross a ****ing bridge? It drives me crazy.

At least 25% of people do this. I don't get it...traffic is NOT stopped.

Down here in the SE that is the go to move in the rain. It makes me rage.

My father was a truck driver, he taught me when I was young that you throw them on when the highway is coming to a stop to warn other truckers to stop. This gives them room to slow down and lessens the likely hood of them plowing into suddenly stopped traffic.

This new wave of using flasher while moving along in the rain has cancelled out what was once a very effective safety measure.

You can get ticketed here for it, I have never seen anyone get pulled over for it. I feel it should carry a worse fine than speeding. It is more reckless IMHO.

I can accept four ways in the rain, or bad weather in general, if the traffic ahead has stopped.

You do not need four ways to announce 'I am driving'...

I thought this thread was about twins....with pics.

Very disappointed....

If ya speed up to 55, on I-95, ya just gotta use them....you are stopped :)

Sick of tail-gaters who believe they can force the line to move faster?
(traffic engineering studies actually prove the opposite)

idk

Drives me nuts as well, lots of folks use them lots of times, driving in the rain, several cars following each other someplace, occasionally it's just one car driving normally at the same speed as the flow of traffic on the interstate in any lane, etc.... It irritates me too. I don't think I've seen the driving across a bridge thing.

The one that I find the most annoying is when 5-10 cars are all going someplace and they all have their hazard flashers on even if the weather is perfect.

Prolly the same reason people sound their horns for "whatever" when they're for emergency or "oh seet" moments.

How can people learn to do this, yet they can't learn how to keep right except to pass?

I have seen drivers use the 4 ways driving on the shoulders of expressways during heavy traffic.

My biggest pet peeve is the use of 4 ways to double park on Chicago neighborhood streets. I guess that makes it ok.

In heavy rain or fog it makes the other vehicle more visible. I think “emergency” flashers is a misnomer.

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The Florida Highway Patrol is now writing tickets to the idiots who use the Flashers in the rain. Jim is correct, using in the rain is crap and idiotic.

That is not right, imo.

When you're driving through torrential rain..with ten feet of visibility..the flashers are the only things visible.
It's the only thing that keeps the knuckleheads doing ninety at bay.

Wrong, that is what lights are for, flashers are for stopped cars. If you ignore the tail lights, and get use to flashers, how long before idiots say that flashers don't stand out??

I'd never seen it until the year I lived in Georgia. One morning I was driving to work at 5 a.m., doing 75 (speed limit) on I-85 in moderate rain. Between the RainX and wipers, I could see just fine. I came over a hill and almost hit a vehicle doing 15 mph with his flashers on with wipers and other lights off. WTF? He shouldn't have been on the interstate.

The first few times I encountered this new stupid phenomenon, I lifted and prepared top stop, only to realize the 4 way flashers were running away into the distance.



Last summer some moron was driving on a local surface road in the rain at night with his flashers on, they were LED lights and blinding. I was in my lifted FJ Cruiser, I got up behind him and hit my high beams in rhythm with his flashers, only took about 300 yards for him to turn them off.

I have never wanted to harm people more than these idiots with flashers in the rain, I seriously rage over it, my wife gets anxiety driving with me screaming in the car at these idiots on the road.

I put ‘em on when traffic has to slow for a stopped cop car on the shoulder, construction or some such disruption of normal flow.

The only time I ever put flashers on, I was driving south through Central Wisconsin on I-39 in the middle of the day. There was no traffic around. I hit a torrential downpour. It got as dark as night. The rain was coming down so hard I couldn't tell where the lines were, let alone where the road was. I came to a stop and threw on my hazards until the storm passed. Good thing too, as I was at a 30º angle to the road. Had I gone on much longer, I'd have been in the ditch.

The car could have been on limp mode. Did you see him pass an exit? If so, then he was wrong and you are right. I sometimes use flashers in active construction zones. I do this to let the workers know I am aware. Too many idiots do not slow down for construction when it's posted so. Even when it says fines doubled.

16 lane highway (8 in each direction) and he was in the second lane from the left. You'd think he'd be in the far right lane.

Laws about driving with flashers on vary by state.

Curious about the law where you live? AAA provided this state-by-state breakdown:

Alabama: The use of hazard lights is permitted while driving unless otherwise posted.
Alaska: The use of hazard lights is not permitted while driving.
Arizona: Hazard light use is not permitted while driving except in an emergency situation.
Arkansas: Hazard light usage is not permitted while driving except to indicate a traffic hazard.
California: Hazard light use is not permitted while driving except to indicate a traffic hazard.
Colorado: Hazard light use is not permitted while driving except if the vehicle speed is 25 mph or less.
Connecticut: Hazard light use is permitted while driving unless otherwise posted.
Delaware: Hazard light use is not permitted while driving except to indicate a traffic hazard.
District of Columbia: Hazard light use is permitted while driving.
Florida: The use of hazard lights is not permitted while driving.
Georgia: The use of hazard lights is permitted while driving.
Hawaii: Hazard light use is not permitted while driving.
Idaho: Hazard light use is not permitted while driving except to indicate the presence of a vehicular traffic hazard requiring unusual care in approaching, overtaking or passing.
Illinois: The use of hazard lights is not permitted while driving.
Indiana: Hazard light use is not permitted while driving except in emergency situations.
Iowa: The use of hazard lights are not permitted while driving except to indicate a traffic hazard.
Kansas: Hazard light use is not permitted while driving.
Kentucky: Hazard light use is permitted while driving.
Louisiana: Hazard light use is not permitted while driving.
Maine: Hazard light use is not permitted while driving unless to indicate a traffic hazard.
Maryland: Hazard light use is not permitted while driving except in emergency situations.
Massachusetts: Hazard light use is not permitted while driving.
Michigan: Hazard light use is permitted while driving.
Minnesota: Hazard lights are not permitted while driving except to indicate a traffic hazard.
Mississippi: Hazard light usage is permitted while driving.
Missouri: Hazard light usage is permitted while driving.
Montana: Hazard lights are not permitted while driving except to indicate a traffic hazard.
Nebraska: Hazard light use is permitted while driving.
Nevada: Hazard light usage is not permitted while driving.
New Hampshire: Hazard light use is permitted while driving.
New Jersey: The use of hazard lights is permitted while driving.
New Mexico: Hazard light use is not permitted while driving.
New York: Hazard light use is permitted while driving unless otherwise posted.
North Carolina: Hazard light use is permitted while driving unless otherwise posted.
North Dakota: Hazard light use is permitted while driving unless otherwise posted.
Ohio: Hazard light use is not permitted while driving except when a hazardous condition is present.
Oklahoma: Hazard light use is not permitted while driving except in emergency situations and to indicate a traffic hazard.
Oregon: Hazard light use is permitted while driving unless otherwise posted.
Pennsylvania: Hazard light use is permitted while driving.
Rhode Island: Hazard light use is not permitted while driving.
South Carolina: Hazard lights may be used while driving for the purpose of warning the operators of other vehicles of the presence of a vehicular traffic hazard requiring the exercise of unusual care in approaching, overtaking or passing.
South Dakota: Hazard light use is permitted while driving.
Tennessee: Hazard light use is not permitted while driving except in emergency situations.
Texas: Hazard light use is permitted while driving.
Utah: Hazard light use is permitted while driving.
Vermont: Hazard light use is permitted while driving.
Virginia: Hazard light use is not permitted while driving except for emergency vehicles, stopped or slowed vehicles to indicate a traffic hazard, when traveling as part of a funeral procession, or traveling slower than 30 mph.
Washington: Hazard light use is not permitted while driving except to indicate a traffic hazard.
West Virginia: Hazard lights are not permitted while driving except in emergency situations.
Wisconsin: Hazard lights are not permitted while driving except to indicate a traffic hazard or when a hazardous condition is present.
Wyoming: Hazard light use is permitted while driving.

Many new cars will activate the hazard lights when ABS braking is activated.

I use my flashers all the time.

The area where I live is popular with bicyclists...the roads are narrow and often hilly and curvy with limited passing opportunities.

When I come upon the cyclists and can't pass right away, I always turn on my flashers since these roads are also popular with sports car enthusiasts and motorcyclists.

As soon as I am clear they get turned off.

I'm gonna start in Wilmington, I-40 to LA....
Flashin' my way across the USA :)

Paul, Your use of flashers to alert other drivers is very much in keeping with the laws around here (and in Co.) On our major highways you will see signs (usually on the hills) "Use 4-way Flashers Under 70 kph"
Similarly, I will use them if I am stopped for construction and I am the last vehicle in the line up, just to give another visual 'Heads up' to traffic coming up behind me.
If I were driving in rain which was coming down hard enough that I felt the need to turn on the 4-ways, I would probably be stopped until it was safe to proceed.

Didn't we just have this conversation a couple of years ago?

Best
Les

Could've been just a few weeks ago ....can't recall...

Local PCA encourages the use of flashers when encountering cyclists on the road during the club drives on the back roads. This is to alert the cars at the back of the group about a hazard ahead.

Not to beat a dead horse but the real problem with using flashers in the rain is that you can't distinguish who is actually stopped on the side of the road and who is still moving. Stupid.

One practice that is commonplace here in Germany and makes a lot of sense, particularly on the German autobahns is the use of 4-ways when traffic comes to a stop. It's a (slightly) early warning sign of an impending stau and makes it obvious who is paying attention. In the US, I suppose you would have to put your phone down to observe and react but not sure that is going to happen.

I agree 100% !

I have seen many drivers in Raleigh on a 3 lane highway driving 30 to 40 MPH hour in the pouring rain with the hazards flashing (sometimes without the lights on) while in the left lane while vehicles are flying by them on the right lane :rolleyes:

There was a thread on 'using flashers in the rain', which I think is generally unnecessary but not grounds for execution.

Using your flashers on bridge, on a clear sunny day, with unobstructed traffic, is grounds for pushing the car over the guardrail.

Around here funeral processions use flashers and there is normally a motorcycle cop (off duty) or someone dressed like one, which stops traffic at all intersections to let the funeral pass. That is about the only time you see someone using them, unless they are pulled off the road.

I always thought 4 way flashers were for when you are stopped in a vulnerable position.

It should be taught that once whatever traffic is behind you gets their speed down to yours, you turn the flasher off.

Leaving them on means you can't effectively use your blinkers - that is dangerous.

Some cars have really blinding ones, very annoying.

Young kid at work told me today if you put the hazards on it will bypass the max speed governer.... Maybe they are haulin *ss across bridges with no cops.

I use flashers for tailgaters. If I cannot see their headlights and/or the road directly behind me in my rear view, they're too close. I hit the flashers or about 4-5 rounds. Almost without fail they back off immediately.

Because tailgaters fall into one of two categories...1-intentional, or 2-not intentional.
If 1- simply do not realize how close they are, flashers alert them, they have an “ah..” moment and back off.

If 2- I do the same, they respond by either backing off, or passing me.

In both scenarios I do not alter my driving because someone is inattentive or aggressive. Win-win.

In the extremely rare occasion none of the above work, I choose a good clear section of the next lane and move over when it’s safe.

And for Pete’s sake, there are literally 20+ items that are far, far more important to traffic flow than who is in what lane. It really is one of the least important things affecting flow.

Like merging, or using a lane that’s ending, or not stopping in a crosswalk, or how far ahead drivers look, or how often they check their mirrors.

People insist they are very good drivers when they do not understand the actual question.

Don’t confuse “operating a vehicle” with “understanding how traffic flows”.

Last thing, what follow on training has anyone had aside from high school era drivers ed?
And dont count “traffic school” for a infraction.

+1
If you are stopped on the side of the road you are no longer slow moving traffic - you shouldn’t have your flashers on because you aren’t moving and you aren’t traffic. Use flashers to indicate slow moving vehicles in a driving lane.

Absolutely not. The bridge speed is ridiculously low, 30 MPH. And lots of people refuse to exceed it.

I suspect with a lot of people it's fear of heights.

No doubt.

I cross the Harry Nice Bridge at least once a week - Route 301 bridge over the Potomac: Very narrow and steep.

People don't use their flasher but the speeds can get really slow, especially in winds!

One of my partners will not drive this bridge since he gets vertigo.

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http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1561552579.jpg

I-40 does not get near LA. It just stops in the lovely town of Barstow, CA. BTDT. I have driven I-40 from Oklahoma City to Barstow, and back. And I have driven from Oklahoma City all the way to Hickory, NC.

Maybe if you paid more attention to your mirrors and moved over before faster traffic got to you, you wouldn't have that issue.

We have the Buckman bridge, 3 miles long, not very high, part of the highway, wide, and idiots still slow down below the speed limit . Anytime there is an accident, some idiots cry the bridge is dangerous and they need to lower the speed limit, truth is, most of the accidents are caused by the bug holes going slower than the rest of traffic and more people die on other roads in the area every year than have died on the bridge since it opened.