Drive at night, driver behind no lights on, what's next?

arleitiss

Hey, just out of interest here, What do you usually do when you are driving along at dark time and out of sudden you notice there is driver behind you who has no headlights on so it's very hard to see him. What do you do? I mean sure if it's oncoming traffic you can make a full beam blink, but what do you do if it's someone behind?

MagicMarker

Nothing.

brake hard to teach him a lesson


no, i'll go with nothing

DylanII

Flash your rear fog lights

Jimbob 83

Blinky blinks

CiniO

arleitiss wrote: »

I mean sure if it's oncoming traffic you can make a full beam blink

I tried it a good few times, but no one seem to react to this in Ireland (no one turns on the lights after my blink).

So I actually stopped doing it, as there's no point.

Jhcx

pull in and let them over take. dont get held up in the crossfire when it all goes wrong

Alanstrainor

CiniO wrote: »

I tried it a good few times, but no one seem to react to this in Ireland (no one turns on the lights after my blink).

So I actually stopped doing it, as there's no point.

I still do it. For the 30% that don't get it, there's 70% that do, so I figure what the hell. Who knows what's going on inside peoples heads driving down a street with no lights on after dark.

arleitiss

I drove with no lights once, passed some kind of crime/accident scene there was a ambulance and garda, medic opened door as he didnt see me coming then waved his hand at me, I thought he's mad, so I drove, 2 next taxis flashed lights at me, I thought they are mad, then I thought maybe I got full beams on, checked and realized that i was mad.

darragh o meara

Last time I had somebody driving behind me with no lights on it turned out to be the guards. They followed me for about 3-4 miles before pulling me over. I was just about ready to pull in and leave the car pass me when the blues and twos'd me. It's a fairly common occurance around here sneaky huckers.

UnknownSpecies

Give em lefty righty

Where To

dorgasm wrote: »

Give em lefty righty

Or a quick flick of the flashers if you're not violent.

cormie

Flash the hazards, turn my lights on and off, turn fog lights on and off, maybe blow the horn, keep going and see just how long it will take them to cop on that maybe they should check something. Was stopped at lights once and shouted back to the chap that his lights were off.

On the other flip side, I came out of a garage one time at night and saw a car approaching me with no lights on so I gave him a few flashes. Drove another few seconds and realised my own lights weren't even on when I was flashing someone else for not having theirs on

Greyfoot

I always wondered how people(apart from drunk drivers) can drive during night without headlights.
Clocks and dashboard stay dark too as you might noticed..

kbell

On Some cars the dash lights illiuminate with out the headlights being turned on.
Nowadays if flashed by an oncoming vehicle, people are inclined to slow down for fear of a go safe van lurking around the corner.

MagicMarker

Greyfoot wrote: »

I always wondered how people(apart from drunk drivers) can drive during night without headlights.
Clocks and dashboard stay dark too as you might noticed..

Not true, lots of cars have the dashboard light up regardless, I drove a 05 Carolla for a time in which the dashboard lit up really bright so it could be seen during the day and when you turn the lights on the dashboard would darken (under the assumption that it's night time and therefore doesn't need to be so bright for you to be able to see it).

Veloce

I find that flashing is not really that effective. People just don't have the cop on! In the city I found that turning your lights off then back on again very quickly got the message across

_Kaiser_

I just drive with my lights on all the time.. saves any problem like this.
Even if I stop in somewhere like a garage I'll leave them on so when I get back in the car and put the key back in, they light up automatically.

I'll always flash eejits driving along in the dark - in the dark - though! Like someone else said, most of the time they get the message.

What I don't get is how you can be in the car at night and not realise your lights aren't on given the dash lights will be off, the stereo etc - of course for the type who drive around on parking lights 24/7 (particularly in Dublin) this wouldn't work I suppose!

Still, when this new rule comes in to hard wire the lights to come on, presumably this phenomenon will become a thing of the past - save for those who don't believe in changing a bulb!

fletch

Jhcx wrote: »

pull in and let them over take. dont get held up in the crossfire when it all goes wrong

Surely you are more likely to be caught in the crossfire if they are in front of you since oncoming cars might not see them. I would rather have them behind me where oncoming traffic can see my lights first

mgbgt1978

Slightly off-topic I know, but about 20/25 years ago myself (an apprentice electrician at the time) and 2 apprentice mechanics were driving out of Town at 1am, but still under street lights. The rear lights of the car in front went off and on a few times.
The 2 "mechanics" in the front looked at each other and in unison said "Bad Earth".
50 yards later we stopped at a red light, the guy driving the car in front jumped out and ran back to tell my mechanic friend that he was driving with no lights, and that he had tried to let him know by turning his own lights off and on a couple of times. :D:D

wonski

To be honest i did notice lately that there are more and more drivers having their lights on during the day. I have a habit of turning them on before i move off anyway, but since i drive unlit road every night, i learned it easily.

Last night was behind a car crawling along at 50-60 in 80 zone... nothing wrong with that, altough he seemed to be faster through the lit parts of the road. When i overtook it there was a blast of full beam from behind (he did not turn them off), but only one worked - the other was parking one... Rear fog was on, too...
Everytime i come across someone driving slowly at night, there is a problem with their lights. All it takes is a quick drive to Halfords/garage if you can't do it yourself...

Hope the driver of 98 reg Micra driven from Naas to Kilcullen last night (about 1AM) is on Boards, and reads this.

sean1141

auto light are great!!

Pj!

I can remember the first time I ever drove a car, on my own, on the road. I was about 14/15 I suppose.

One night the parents car needed to be moved from the front of the house around to the back which involved driving down the street about 200 yards to the entrance. They voiced the fact that it needed to be moved, and me being a 14/15 year old, piped up that I'd do it. It was being cheeky more than anything. I had drove on the road with them before (down backroads) but never on my own. And certainly never in the town. One looked at the other and against all expectation said OK.
I floated out to the car! Unlocked the door and sat in. I wasn't feeling as brave as I had been but there was nobody around. It was late anyway, near midnight.
I took off cautiously and after a few yards I noticed somebody walking down the footpath towards me. After a few more yards I realised it was the local policeman, on duty. 'Oh sh1te' was the instinctive thought. But I thought 'no, keep calm'. It's only a car driving up the street. He'll never notice me.
Well he did. He watched the car as I approached. And he kept watching the car. He even stopped to look as I drove past and he watched me all the way to the entrance.
I was raging. How did he cop me?! At night!! Doesn't miss a beat the f*cker. But I couldn't understand it. It was just a car driving down the street.
Pulled in off the lit street and it all became clear. Or rather it all became dark.

I had forgotten to turn on the f*cking lights. :mad:

keithclancy

I have a Volvo, you can't turn the bloody lights off.

Galwayguy35

Kind of the opposite situation happened to me on friday, there was a car behind me with full beams on at 3 o clock in the day.
Anytime I was looking in my rear view mirror she was blinding me.

Berty

Can be a new problem with DRLs in that peoples dashboard are lit up and so are their front DRLs but their rear lights aren't on. I have asked a few people with 2011+ cars with DRLs on and they say "I just assumed my rear lights came on as well". :rolleyes:

I was driving my fathers car last night and I think it took me all of 30 seconds to notice that the OBC was warning of a "out" rear tail light. I asked him about it "Sur' I have another back there, I'll replace them both when the other one goes".

God bless him. :rolleyes:

Bpmull

Daytime running lights DRL's are a great job on our octavia
The minute you turn it on the drl's come on automatically the dash dosent light up and the switch for the lights is off at least this way you have lights on all the time without having to switch them on. They are also brighter than parking lights so they can be seen during the day. It's our first car ever to have them and all cars should have them their a great idea

_Kaiser_

Beer Baron wrote: »

Can be a new problem with DRLs in that peoples dashboard are lit up and so are their front DRLs but their rear lights aren't on. I have asked a few people with 2011+ cars with DRLs on and they say "I just assumed my rear lights came on as well". :rolleyes:

Bpmull wrote: »

Daytime running lights DRL's are a great job on our octavia
The minute you turn it on the drl's come on automatically the dash dosent light up and the switch for the lights is off at least this way you have lights on all the time without having to switch them on. They are also brighter than parking lights so they can be seen during the day. It's our first car ever to have them and all cars should have them their a great idea

I was surprised myself when I realised that the rear lights DON'T come on automatically with DRL's. I mean given the choice, if it's about being seen then it's more important that the car behind you can see you surely? - although I don't think it SHOULD be a choice.

The way the Octavia does it then seems the best way - if the rear lights come on too? If not then I think that I'd have them wired in afterwards myself.

the_syco

Old car; dash only lit up whwn I turned the lights on.

New car; dash brightly lit with lights off, dim when lights are on, so got caught out having no lights, and some nice person flashed his lights at me.

To the people giving people "one flash", and wondering why the other car doesn't do anything, it's because "one flash" means "cops ahead", whereas "multiple flashes" means "your lights are not on".

Pj!

the_syco wrote: »

To the people giving people "one flash", and wondering why the other car doesn't do anything, it's because "one flash" means "cops ahead", whereas "multiple flashes" means "your lights are not on".

And where did you read that?

Bpmull

Kaiser2000 wrote: »

I was surprised myself when I realised that the rear lights DON'T come on automatically with DRL's. I mean given the choice, if it's about being seen then it's more important that the car behind you can see you surely? - although I don't think it SHOULD be a choice.

The way the Octavia does it then seems the best way - if the rear lights come on too? If not then I think that I'd have them wired in afterwards myself.

On the octavia the front and rear lights come on. Your right this is the best way to have them some cars only have front lights on and this is no good

goz83

Pj! wrote: »

And where did you read that?

It's in the unwritten book of flashing.

Actually, that's how I do it too.
One flash = attention/cops ahead.
Several flashes = You idiot...turn your lights on!

Blazer

Had this one night on the motorway...fairly dark and the guy had no rear lights whatsoever. I very nearly ran into the back of him.
Repeated attempts at flashing at him did nothing whatsoever for his dumbass brain.
I should have reported him but didn't.:(

_Kaiser_

Bpmull wrote: »

On the octavia the front and rear lights come on. Your right this is the best way to have them some cars only have front lights on and this is no good

Strange then that Audi's only have the front lights come on seeing as they're from the same stable

Bpmull

Kaiser2000 wrote: »

Strange then that Audi's only have the front lights come on seeing as they're from the same stable

Ive seen the audis and only front lights come on i think the octavia set up is better you need front and rear lights to work.

Markcheese

Jhcx wrote: »

pull in and let them over take. dont get held up in the crossfire when it all goes wrong

Think I'd rather have them behind me than in front....

darragh o meara

Kaiser2000 wrote: »

Strange then that Audi's only have the front lights come on seeing as they're from the same stable

I'm pretty sure this can be programmed in with vagcom or by a main dealer.

uriah

Skoda Superb - lights come on automatically, front and rear.

DylanII

uriah wrote: »

Skoda Superb - lights come on automatically, front and rear.

Always on or just when it gets dark/rains