a small rant about "nice guy" drivers

[oldwheels]

On a single track road with passing places a flash of lights usually means I have stopped in a passing place and will wait here till you pass. Personally I favour using my left indicator to say I am pulling over to the left to avoid misunderstandings with idiots ( including some cyclists ) who veer to their right straight into my intended path. A cyclist did that this week on the road to Iona. His pals ignored the passing place and seemed to expect me to drive into the ditch to avoid them as they took no action to slow down or stop. Fortunately I have good brakes.

 

[KnackeredBike]

For anyone who needs translation: -

Single or double flash means pull out/you come first.

Frantic flashing means speed camera van ahead.

Long flash means dip your headlights foolish oncomer.

Super long flash means you have just pulled out in front of me and I will punish you by burning your retinas.

No one flashes to say they are coming through because after writing off your car the first few times when someone promptly pulls out in front of you they learn it is actually a made up rule to entrap German spies.

 

[mjr]

Means I pressed the wrong button.

+1. Flashing headlights usually means that I forgot what I'm driving and just failed to wash the windscreen again!

 

[mjr]

hi-vis doth offend mine eye.

And if you will wear a "Somebody Else's Problem Field" jacket, of course people will pull out on you.

 

[Lonestar]

Lycra doth offend mine eye.

Is that a banana down there or are you just pleased to see me?(TMI)

 

[david k]

A driver flashing his/her headlights means, at most, that they don't plan to drive into you.

If you interpret that as a guarantee of what other drivers are going to do, then you're asking for trouble.

Agreed, but in this case they mistook it as safe to pull out, using this as his excuse to drive into me.

I've seen near misses like this before and since, so avoid flashing lights as it only takes one to interpret it as totally safe to move on or pull out to cause an accident.

Leave flashing lights to the doggers

 

[Deleted member 1258]

+1. Flashing headlights usually means that I forgot what I'm driving and just failed to wash the windscreen again!

I recently scrapped the Hyundai I'd been driving and brought a Suzuki Swift, and at first had several try and indicate with the wipers moments because the controls behind the steering wheel are the other way round compared to the Hyundai.

 

[mjr]

I recently scrapped the Hyundai I'd been driving and brought a Suzuki Swift, and at first had several try and indicate with the wipers moments because the controls behind the steering wheel are the other way round compared to the Hyundai.

Hooray for the free market, eh? No need to standardise basic controls. It's not like they control anything that could distract or surprise the driver and lead to a collision...