Why do they do this?

Yesterday I caught up to a car (Florida plate) driving on the interstate with annoyingly bright LED emergency flashers on. It had been snowing and it was effectively down to the right lane that was recently plowed. Florida car was driving 35 mph which was OK given the conditions and I was going to exit within 2 miles so I followed rather than try to pass in left lane which had 4" of snow.

Florida car gets off my exit w/o signaling because well signals don't work when the flashers are on. The highway we were on had been plowed so was in good shape but the car continued at 30 mph. I hoped it would stop at the gas station ahead but it continued then came to a halt (again no signal) before turning left into a parking lot. When I looked in my mirror it (with flashers still on) was turning around maybe to go to the gas station or heaven forbid back on the interstate.

This was just after exiting the interstate.

They are trying to remind you to put your high beams on.

Since driving conditions are so bad they are worried about visibility, how much more visible can you be with HID projectors at full blast?

Maybe...

People are dumb.

Specifically, a bunch of people seem to assume turning on their hazard lights allows them to do whatever they want on the road.

In AR, it's specifically a violation of the traffic code to drive with your hazard lights flashing. They are only to be used on a stationary vehicle to warn other drivers of a traffic hazard, such as a breakdown on the side of the road.

quote:

Originally posted by .38supersig:
They are trying to remind you to put your high beams on.

Damn I didn't think to do that.


Yeah it may be illegal here in WV too, I'm not sure though. Unfortunately all the police were probably busy with vehicles that ran off the road.

Speaking of which.... when it's snowing hard, the plow hasn't been by, and there's a mountain ahead, why don't the tractor trailer rigs pull off onto the berm (with flashers on) and wait it out? There was one stopped on the hill blocking the truck lane and part of the right land. One more there and the whole road that direction would be shut down. Coming the other direction at a banked right curve a rig slid all the way off the road and was hung up.

Trucks do it here on the steep hills when they're more than 10mph under the speed limit. I'll do it if I am coming up behind very slow traffic so that the dunce behind me might look up from his cell phone and not hit me. Once there are a couple of cars behind me I turn them off.

When visibility is horrible, I'll run the flashers so that drivers behind me pay a bit more attention and may have a better sense of closure rate. Plenty of accidents happen in heavy snow or rain storms when someone doesn't realize they are going a lot faster than the traffic in front of them. Steady red rear lights make judging distance and speed difficult.

quote:

Originally posted by Fly-Sig:

When visibility is horrible, I'll run the flashers so that drivers behind me pay a bit more attention.....

Do you turn them off once there's someone behind you?

quote:

Originally posted by ridewv:

Why do they do this?

Yesterday I caught up to a car (Florida plate)

Here in Florida, flashers can be used to nullify a "No Parking Or Standing -- Fire Lane" sign.

quote:

Originally posted by Fly-Sig:
Trucks do it here on the steep hills when they're more than 10mph under the speed limit. I'll do it if I am coming up behind very slow traffic so that the dunce behind me might look up from his cell phone and not hit me. Once there are a couple of cars behind me I turn them off.

When visibility is horrible, I'll run the flashers so that drivers behind me pay a bit more attention and may have a better sense of closure rate. Plenty of accidents happen in heavy snow or rain storms when someone doesn't realize they are going a lot faster than the traffic in front of them. Steady red rear lights make judging distance and speed difficult.

I think brake lights should blink and get faster with increasing brake pedal pressure. You see a red strobe light ahead and you know you have to slow down hard. I only use flashers when I an slowing down to pull over for an emergency vehicle or maybe a school bus. Lot of people don't do this anymore. And of course if I stop on the road, but given the level of inattentive drivers, I'll limp on a flat to an exit before I change a tire on the side of an interstate. New rim costs a lot less than getting hit. It would take a complete disabling of the car to stop on the interstate.

I've seen cars on a non-divided 4 lane road streaming past a stopped school bus because they were on "the other side of the road". I was aghast. Perhaps it was recent immigrants because it was in the town I work in and they hire a lot of Indians and Chinese many of whom have limited driving experience.

quote:

Originally posted by V-Tail:
..Here in Florida, flashers can be used to nullify a "No Parking Or Standing -- Fire Lane" sign.

LOL

Illegal for automobiles here in California.

But it’s a good warning that the driver may not be fully coherent, so stay clear.

quote:

Originally posted by RogueJSK:

Specifically, a bunch of people seem to assume turning on their hazard lights allows them to do whatever they want on the road.

LOL...back in my enforcement days, I pulled a delivery driver over for cruising through a couple of stop signs; his response was " but I my flashers are on" like it made blowing the stop signs legal... it only took 1 ticket for him to figure out stop signs were not optional.

quote:

Originally posted by Fly-Sig:
Trucks do it here on the steep hills when they're more than 10mph under the speed limit. I'll do it if I am coming up behind very slow traffic so that the dunce behind me might look up from his cell phone and not hit me. Once there are a couple of cars behind me I turn them off.

When visibility is horrible, I'll run the flashers so that drivers behind me pay a bit more attention and may have a better sense of closure rate. Plenty of accidents happen in heavy snow or rain storms when someone doesn't realize they are going a lot faster than the traffic in front of them. Steady red rear lights make judging distance and speed difficult.

It's illegal and in inclement weather very distracting. Not to mention your turn signals no longer work when your flashers are on.

quote:

Originally posted by jimmy123x:

quote:

Originally posted by Fly-Sig:
Trucks do it here on the steep hills when they're more than 10mph under the speed limit. I'll do it if I am coming up behind very slow traffic so that the dunce behind me might look up from his cell phone and not hit me. Once there are a couple of cars behind me I turn them off.

When visibility is horrible, I'll run the flashers so that drivers behind me pay a bit more attention and may have a better sense of closure rate. Plenty of accidents happen in heavy snow or rain storms when someone doesn't realize they are going a lot faster than the traffic in front of them. Steady red rear lights make judging distance and speed difficult.

It's illegal and in inclement weather very distracting. Not to mention your turn signals no longer work when your flashers are on.

Wrong. It varies by state.

https://www.motorbiscuit.com/i...-hazard-lights-rain/

School driver education class taught us to use hazard lights if you're going much under the speed limit due to things like an engine issue or something slow in front of you. Using them during bad visibility is somewhat common, especially on highways.

Lots of blanket statements posted here, and of course, some are spectacularly wrong! Like laws regarding most everything else, there are different traffic laws for different states, so bottom line...It depends.

Personally, I've lived in two states where not only are you permitted, but you are required to use your hazards while driving at 15 MPH below the posted Speed Limit on a highway.

I found the following info from AAA, which I'm sure many 'Hazard Nazis' will find surprising and perhaps even enlightening!

Short Summary - It turns out, only NINE STATES actually outright prohibit driving with your hazards on, which leave 41 states where it's legal, or at the very least permitted (and perhaps even recommended!) in certain situations.

Here's a state by state breakdown -

States where hazard light use is permitted while driving:

- District of Columbia (Not a State!)
- Georgia
- Kentucky
- Michigan
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Nebraska
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- Pennsylvania
- South Dakota
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Wyoming

States where the use of hazard lights is permitted while driving unless otherwise posted:

- Alabama
- Connecticut
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Oregon

States where hazard light usage is not permitted while driving EXCEPT to indicate a traffic hazard:

- Arkansas
- California.
- Delaware
- Iowa
- Maine
- Minnesota
- Montana
- Washington

States where hazard light use is not permitted while driving EXCEPT in an emergency situation:

- Arizona
- Indiana
- Maryland
- Tennessee
- West Virginia

In the following states the use of hazard lights is not permitted while driving, EXCEPT during specific conditions, as detailed:

- Colorado - Hazard light use is not permitted while driving EXCEPT if the vehicle speed is 25 mph or less.
- Florida - The use of hazard lights is not permitted while driving, EXCEPT during specific conditions.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Wisconsin - Hazard lights are not permitted while driving EXCEPT to indicate a traffic hazard or when a hazardous condition is present.

And finally, the remaining NINE STATES where the use of hazard lights is NOT permitted while driving:

- Alaska
- Hawaii
- Illinois
- Kansas
- Louisiana
- Massachusetts
- New Mexico
- Nevada
- Rhode Island

quote:

Originally posted by jimmy123x:

It's illegal and in inclement weather very distracting.

BULLSHIT! Once again, per your habit, you are blatantly posting incorrect information.

You state that you are a Florida resident. Presumably, you have a Florida Driver License, but you clearly do not know Florida's law with respect to this topic.

Florida Statute 316.2397(7)(c) clearly states that flashers may be used "During periods of extremely low visibility on roadways with a posted speed limit of 55 miles per hour or higher." There is nothing ambiguous about the quoted statute. It is written in plain English.

quote:

Originally posted by Lefty Sig:

I think brake lights should blink and get faster with increasing brake pedal pressure. You see a red strobe light ahead and you know you have to slow down hard...

Years ago when I was riding motorcycles a lot, there was a device that would make your brake lights do just that. I think it was somehow specific to bikes and wouldn't work on cars, for some reason. I don't know if it's still available or not, probably outlawed like so many innovations.

quote:

Originally posted by Lefty Sig:
I think brake lights should blink and get faster with increasing brake pedal pressure.

Funny, the brake lights on car in my avatar actually get brighter when high-force stopping is applied. Not with any real trickeration but just another set of lights inboard from the "normal" ones that light up.

No flashing, but better than nothing I guess.

Germans, gotta love them.

Oh, and I love turning on the rear fog light on either of current cars in dense fog or rain to really confuse people.

In addition to providing increased visibility for your vehicle in poor weather conditions, Rear Fog Light(s) are great for repelling tailgaters when when the weather's perfectly clear too!

Hazard lights are not permitted to be used while driving in WV where this occurred, or Florida where the car was from, in this situation.