Hazard Warning Lights, are they some sort of Klingon Cloaking Device?

[Rhythm Thief]

That's the thing....they are calling your/our/my bluff.

Oh, don't be daft. No one's calling anyone's bluff, they've simply pulled over and put their hazards on. The way some of you are going on about it you'd think the only reason they'd done so was to slow you down for three seconds.

 

[hackbike 666]

Oh, don't be daft. No one's calling anyone's bluff, they've simply pulled over and put their hazards on. The way some of you are going on about it you'd think the only reason they'd done so was to slow you down for three seconds.

....and then they suddenly pull out.

 

[Rhythm Thief]

....and then they suddenly pull out.

But of course, you've already allowed for that because there's a vehicle at the side of the road showing signs of life.

 

[Norm]

But of course, you've already allowed for that because there's a vehicle at the side of the road showing signs of life.

Unfortunately, the life which exists in them is not between the driver's ears.

The worst use of hazards for me is Postman Pratt in his little red van* who, about to pull some lame-assed manoeuvre, puts on his hazards whilst still driving.

Who knows where the heck he is going, whether he is going to abandon his van on the right or the left, he seems to like to keep his intentions secret. At least he does like to acknowledge that his presence on the road is a hazard, though.

*note this trick is not restricted to employees of the Royal Mail and can be used by all deliver drivers and couriers.

 

[Sheffield_Tiger]

Some of you need to relax a bit. So you momentarily thought someone was indicating to pull out ... hardly life changing, is it?

I did yesterday. Think someone was pulling out, since I saw the indicator start to flash. So I slowed (primary position along narrow road with cars parked either side = riding hugging the centre white lines) and got a prat a foot behind me revving away.

The driver had just switched the hazards on, but was in a position where LH flasher was obscured. Not life changing but more than just a moment, since from that point, idiot behind decided he was going to tailgate the entire way, in such a dangerous manner that i didn't even dare move over since it was clear he wouldn't have waited until I was right over before zooming ahead.

 

[ufkacbln]

Totally appropriate to use these - it states clearly that they are a Hazard

.. and in most cases they will continue to have a poor attitude and will remain a hazard when moving!

 

[marinyork]

Oh, don't be daft. No one's calling anyone's bluff, they've simply pulled over and put their hazards on. The way some of you are going on about it you'd think the only reason they'd done so was to slow you down for three seconds.

Actually I've seen people bluffing. Middle of a very steep hill, filter lane, vehicle receives a telephone call they must answer, puts on hazard warning lights and handbrake, sneaky as you like. Call ends 60 seconds later, holding up traffic, very dangerous position in the road, car smoothly pulls away. I've seen variations on this sneaky trick a few times and not anywhere reasonably sensible to do it like the side of the road.

 

[Rhythm Thief]

Actually I've seen people bluffing. Middle of a very steep hill, filter lane, vehicle receives a telephone call they must answer, puts on hazard warning lights and handbrake, sneaky as you like. Call ends 60 seconds later, holding up traffic, very dangerous position in the road, car smoothly pulls away. I've seen variations on this sneaky trick a few times and not anywhere reasonably sensible to do it like the side of the road.

But that's about being an arse, not use of hazards per se.
I'd like to think that when I flick the hazards on because I'm about to try and back a 45' trailer off a road into a tight space, that the motorists and cyclists behind me would see them and think not "oh, look at this selfish twonk" but "this chap is obviously about to do something unusual. I'll back off and give him lots of room". However, it seems that plenty of you are happy to display the same attitudes that so annoy you when exhibited by car drivers.

 

[marinyork]

But that's about being an arse, not use of hazards per se.
I'd like to think that when I flick the hazards on because I'm about to try and back a 45' trailer off a road into a tight space, that the motorists and cyclists behind me would see them and think not "oh, look at this selfish twonk" but "this chap is obviously about to do something unusual. I'll back off and give him lots of room". However, it seems that plenty of you are happy to display the same attitudes that so annoy you when exhibited by car drivers.

Certainly being an arse, but I'd argue that it's no different from the OPs thread basis - invisible cloak trying to mask bad behaviour.

And not really on that point, I've had to deal with lorries making deliveries in tight spaces plenty of times, flicking on hazard warning lights is the least of people's worries, was usually people parked in stupid places, with you guessed it...

I don't really have a problem with people using hazard warning lights in inventive ways in hazard situations.

 

[Norm]

I'd like to think that when I flick the hazards on because I'm about to try and back a 45' trailer off a road into a tight space, that the motorists and cyclists behind me would see them and think not "oh, look at this selfish twonk" but "this chap is obviously about to do something unusual. I'll back off and give him lots of room". However, it seems that plenty of you are happy to display the same attitudes that so annoy you when exhibited by car drivers.

Tying that back to my post, and depending on the circumstances, I'm more likely to think "which way is that twonk going and why does he think that using hazards is more helpful than using direction indicators".

I generally find that a 45' obstruction is just as obvious as a 45' obstruction with little flashing lights at every corner. However, if I see a 45' obstruction with flashing lights on half the corners, at least I know which way they are planning on turning.

 

[Rhythm Thief]

Tying that back to my post, and depending on the circumstances, I'm more likely to think "which way is that twonk going and why does he think that using hazards is more helpful than using direction indicators".

When you're reversing a trailer, the direction indicators aren't a lot of use. A right hand indicator means "I'm about to stop on the right", not "I'm about to drive thirty yards past this entrance, then put my cab right over on the left hand side of the road with my trailer at an angle behind me pointing to the right hand side of the road." Now, admittedly it's tricky to think of a light signal which would communicate all that unequivocally, but at least the hazards say that something unusual is about to happen.
I just find the irony of a load of cyclists complaining that they've had to slow down momentarily because of the actions of another road user amusing. In the first place, so what? and in the second, it's not so very different from the mentality of some car drivers who don't like being held up by bicycles. As problems on the roads go - and I admit I find the use of hazard lights to mean "free double yellow parking" slightly irritating - there are plenty of worse things to get wound up about.

 

[BentMikey]

This is the location I'm thinking of, and where I most often encounter buses parked off to the side in a full sized bus stop, not blocking either of the two lanes. There are often 3 or 4 buses parked one behind the other with their hazards on, and then one or more of those might be wanting to pull out of the stop. It's no big problem, and correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't that unnecessary and inappropriate use of hazards that leads to confusion for other road users?

IMO that's quite different to your needs as a lorry driver. I'm happy to wait and hold back, unlike many drivers and cyclists who try to squeeze past.