Flashing drivers with no lights on

msg11

I used to do it, but no longer after last night.

Some drunk fool, driving with no lights on. Then someone over the other side of the road flashed him and he nearly side swiped a car beside him, the lights must have panicked them or they tried to turn them on. Following behind this person all over the place.

So in future, I won't be doing it. Firstly it must be a red flag to the Garda that something is going on if you can't turn on your lights in the pitch dark and if it helps get these loopers off the road then I will leave them with there lights off.

Just though I would share that with other drivers on this forum, still can't believe people drink drive.

Nissan doctor

I had someone behind me the other evening at around 7pm with no lights at all on.

They drove between Slane and Collon with no lights, a pitch black N road with no lighting at all.
The car behind them was flashing then and getting no reaction....I accelerated away to put some distance between them and me.:rolleyes:

Ardennes1944

happens alot. cant understand it especially in unlit places

Nissan doctor

Ardennes1944 wrote: »

happens alot. cant understand it especially in unlit places

It can only prove how the persons attention to driving the car is almost non existent.

I mean the driver behind me, if we assume wasn't drunk(a little early in the day and they weren't driving erratically) drove 10odd kms without paying attention to their rear view mirror(would have noticed flashing and wondered what was wrong), without paying any attention to the road ahead(would have noticed they couldn't see it properly) and without paying any attention to their speed etc(dash not lit up):rolleyes:

Rovi

Nissan doctor wrote: »

<snip> and without paying any attention to their speed etc(dash not lit up):rolleyes:

Not an excuse by any means, but on a lot of modern cars the dash lights up while the engine is running, no matter whether the driving lights are on or off.

Nissan doctor

Rovi wrote: »

Not an excuse by any means, but on a lot of modern cars the dash lights up while the engine is running, no matter whether the driving lights are on or off.

Could be adding to the problem, especially in built up areas.

MetzgerMeister

What I'm about to say is a little OT but bear with me.

In South Africa, gangs drive around with no lights on at night. The first person to flash them is brutally murdered by a new gang member as his initiation into the gang.

Thankfully we don't have that kind of thing here but if you're ever in SA, be wary of it.

smcgiff

When I took my driving test I was asked what do you do if you're blinded by oncoming traffic. My answer (which I thought was correct) - flash them!

Tester thought it was amusing, not enough for him to pass me though - strange that.

Got lessons, then passed.

Dawn Rider

When you say flash them.... Maybe he was thinking of something else

Tallon

msg11 wrote: »

I used to do it, but no longer after last night.

Some drunk fool, driving with no lights on. Then someone over the other side of the road flashed him and he nearly side swiped a car beside him, the lights must have panicked them or they tried to turn them on. Following behind this person all over the place.

So in future, I won't be doing it. Firstly it must be a red flag to the Garda that something is going on if you can't turn on your lights in the pitch dark and if it helps get these loopers off the road then I will leave them with there lights off.

Just though I would share that with other drivers on this forum, still can't believe people drink drive.

How do you know he was drunk?

MetzgerMeister

MetzgerMeister wrote: »

What I'm about to say is a little OT but bear with me.

In South Africa, gangs drive around with no lights on at night. The first person to flash them is brutally murdered by a new gang member as his initiation into the gang.

Thankfully we don't have that kind of thing here but if you're ever in SA, be wary of it.

http://www.snopes.com/crime/gangs/lightsout.asp

MetzgerMeister

bluewolf wrote: »

http://www.snopes.com/crime/gangs/lightsout.asp

That's it exactly. My best friend from Durban was telling me that this went on in his neighbourhood and I was astounded!

tell him the 90s called and wanted its legend back

MetzgerMeister

bluewolf wrote: »

tell him the 90s called and wanted its legend back

I don't think he'd enjoy me saying that since a family member of his had this happen her.

P.C.

MetzgerMeister wrote: »

bluewolf wrote: »

tell him the 90s called and wanted its legend back

I don't think he'd enjoy me saying that since a family member of his had this happen her.

Someone has given you the wrong info.

There are a lot of things that go on in South Africa, and this might have happened, but it is not a common ongoing thing.

Dawn Rider

P.C. wrote: »

Someone has given you the wrong info.

There are a lot of things that go on in South Africa, and this might have happened, but it is not a common ongoing thing.

True.

I also heard that story about Mexican gangs in L.A. back in the 1980's

paddyland

I drove north from Dublin to Belfast last Friday morning in varying patchy to dense fog. One third of all cars in either direction had no lights on whatsoever, appearing suddenly out of the gloom both behind me, and on the far side of the road in the other direction.

Once, when indicating to pass a slower car, a grey car suddenly materialised behind me with no lights on at all, and I had to abandon the attempt till they passed.

I firmly believe that it is not lack of education with these people, but rather, that they simply don't care. Obligation towards anyone else on the road is simply an irrelevance to these people. You could 'educate' them till you are blue in the face. Perhaps stiffer penalties, in the pocket, is all that will work?

positron

When I am on the motorbike, I usually slow down or pull up at traffic lights to let the car driver know the light is off. Once I had a guy couple of cars behind me with no lights for nearly 8 kms. He was barely awake when I knocked on his driver side window.

Having said that, only last week, I drove off from Portmarnock village with my cars headlights off - two cars flashed me, and another guy behind me flashed too - and only and only then it dawned on me that they were not trying to warn me of garda check ahead or anything like that. Felt like a right idiot for a while alright.

blastman

It's not the first thing people think of when you flash them, so flashing doesn't always work.

On a couple of occasions when I've been behind someone driving with no lights, I'll flash them once or twice to get their attention and then turn off my lights for a split-second. That seems to work better, although you have to judge the prevailing conditions before deciding to turn your lights off, of course.

Buffman

blastman wrote: »

It's not the first thing people think of when you flash them, so flashing doesn't always work.

On a couple of occasions when I've been behind someone driving with no lights, I'll flash them once or twice to get their attention and then turn off my lights for a split-second. That seems to work better, although you have to judge the prevailing conditions before deciding to turn your lights off, of course.

Ye, that's what I do too, flick from dipped to parking lights for a microsecond.

biko

It's true, I myself have killed tons of people for flashing their lights at me at night*


*or maybe I just wanted to, I forget.

-Corkie-

I met a 2012 Avensis last night with no taillights what so ever. I dont know was it the cars fault or drivers..

Mycroft H

-Corkie- wrote: »

I met a 2012 Avensis last night with no taillights what so ever. I dont know was it the cars fault or drivers..

The Avensis has stupid DRL which keep the dipped lights on and the dash illumination on without putting the tail lights on. Its a stupid design.

And if the driver doesn't realise that this is the case most of them will drive round thinking everything is hunky dory. I've seen several garda cars like this in the past/

-Corkie-

BX 19 wrote: »

The Avensis has stupid DRL which keep the dipped lights on and the dash illumination on without putting the tail lights on. Its a stupid design.

And if the driver doesn't realise that this is the case most of them will drive round thinking everything is hunky dory. I've seen several garda cars like this in the past/

The Audis are the same. Its a ridiculous setup in fairness..

dr.fuzzenstein

paddyland wrote: »

I firmly believe that it is not lack of education with these people, but rather, that they simply don't care. Obligation towards anyone else on the road is simply an irrelevance to these people. You could 'educate' them till you are blue in the face. Perhaps stiffer penalties, in the pocket, is all that will work?

I do believe that it's lack of education as well as not caring.
A lot of these people took driving lessons of their ma, their da or maybe their cat by their driving.
It's laziness, complacency, ignorance and the usual passive-aggressive disregard for rules so often found in Ireland, no idea where it comes from.
Only ways to deal with it:
Compulsive lessons from a properly qualified, real driving instructor. (Done!)
Enforcement of EVERY rule by the Gardai, not just standing by the side of the road with a hairdrier and every now and then doing a "tax, insurance, graaand!" roadcheck. (Doubtful!)

The current approach is the typical one for this country: Have every law in the world and then don't bother your hole enforcing it.

bryaner

Theres an incredible amount of luders around at the min with one dipped beam out I remember a past thread about it, this is nearly worse than no lights because the odd person will forget to put them on in lit up areas, the amount of tools going around with a dipped beam out is pure unreal..

Mycroft H

I came across a someone last night in a Audi Q7 with her two dipped lights blown and using the fogs to compensate. This was 10.30pm on a secondary windy road. Madness.

-Corkie-

BX 19 wrote: »

I came across a someone last night in a Audi Q7 with her two dipped lights blown and using the fogs to compensate. This was 10.30pm on a secondary windy road. Madness.

Thats unusual because they have Xenons as standard afaik. Everytime the brother sees one he says here is a relic of the celtic tiger..

Nissan doctor

BX 19 wrote: »

I came across a someone last night in a Audi Q7 with her two dipped lights blown and using the fogs to compensate. This was 10.30pm on a secondary windy road. Madness.

Very unlikely that the bulbs were blown. More then likely just choosing to drive with parking lights and fogs on.

Buffman

BX 19 wrote: »

The Avensis has stupid DRL which keep the dipped lights on and the dash illumination on without putting the tail lights on. Its a stupid design.

And if the driver doesn't realise that this is the case most of them will drive round thinking everything is hunky dory. I've seen several garda cars like this in the past/

Ye, that was mentioned before in the ES forum, apparently AGS ones are being 'fixed'.
From ES, sorry about pic size.

d3exile wrote: »

Was driving one today that they had thought of it!!! Not all cars have it tho

ciotog

dr.fuzzenstein wrote: »

I do believe that it's lack of education as well as not caring.
A lot of these people took driving lessons of their ma, their da or maybe their cat by their driving.
It's laziness, complacency, ignorance and the usual passive-aggressive disregard for rules so often found in Ireland, no idea where it comes from.
Only ways to deal with it:
Compulsive lessons from a properly qualified, real driving instructor. (Done!)
Enforcement of EVERY rule by the Gardai, not just standing by the side of the road with a hairdrier and every now and then doing a "tax, insurance, graaand!" roadcheck. (Doubtful!)

The current approach is the typical one for this country: Have every law in the world and then don't bother your hole enforcing it.

Completely agree with this, enforcement of the laws that we already have would go a long way to improving safety. I hope this isn't going too far OT but an example I saw this evening, cycling home, was a Garda traffic car who passed me and a couple of minutes later I overtook an unlit cyclist in dark clothing. I really can't understand why they didn't take action - the law is clear in this regard.

Del2005

msg11 wrote: »

So in future, I won't be doing it. Firstly it must be a red flag to the Garda that something is going on if you can't turn on your lights in the pitch dark and if it helps get these loopers off the road then I will leave them with there lights off.

Not the Gardaí I say a few years ago on the way to Enniskillen.

In one of the last towns before the border at about 22:00 in Winter, I was driving North and saw two Gardaí with the hair dryer on the roof of their squad car. Coming the other way was a car with no lights on. 2 Gardaí point at the car and laugh as they have me constantly in the gun. The fact that the car was about to enter a pitch dark country road didn't seem to bother them or warrant them signalling the car to turn it's lights on, which they had ample time to do.

The worst thing was I couldn't flash to alert the driver in case the cops did me interfering with a member in the course of their duties.

What I usually do now for a car with no lights is flash and switch to parks for a sec, since I find flashing has no affect on most drivers.

ants09

msg11 wrote: »

So in future, I won't be doing it. Firstly it must be a red flag to the Garda that something is going on if you can't turn on your lights in the pitch dark and if it helps get these loopers off the road then I will leave them with there lights off.

I always flash a driver when they have no lights on for the simple reason if you were driving at night would you sooner see a car with lights on or see a car with no lights on !

Tomk1

Lately I flick from dips to parks to dips, if no response, dips to off and on and looking in the rear mirror I have seen cars putting their lights on, good dead for the day done.

In towns I have forgot to switch on the lights and thankfully others have flashed to let me know.

McGrath5

I always drive with my headlights on, its just habit now for me.
Also the amount of driver's I see in poor or low light conditions with no headlights on is shocking!