Do You Warn Other Drivers When You See A Police Officer?
Some drivers do the quick flash of the headlights to warn others, do you?
If you spend anytime driving on any of the highways across the Hudson Valley, at one time or another you may have noticed another driver going the opposite way of you flashing their headlights at you. If you have no idea why someone would do that while driving, its their way of warning you and others like you that there is a police officer checking speed coming up on your side of the road.
I'm the type of driver that always gives the "flash" to warn others about police and anything else that I think others drivers should be aware of. Things like deer or an accidents, pretty much anything. I'm not alone, Brad text us, "My wife and I were driving on 84 the other night between Carmel and Fishkill. She was driving and we passed a trooper in the center median thing and once we passed, I told her to flash her lights to warn everyone going the other way. She looked at me and said NO WAY! That’s illegal. Couldn’t believe it. Who did I marry?"
Wait, is it illegal to flash the headlights to warn everyone? According to Wikipedia, in New York, flashing headlights is not illegal. State traffic law says that, "headlamps shall be operated so that dazzling light does not interfere with the driver of the approaching vehicle" There has been a bunch of court cases that ruled that flipping or flicking high beams at on-coming cars is insufficient to cause the dazzling lights, which means you can't get pulled over for just flashing your lights.
What type of driver are you? Do warn others, or do you do nothing? Call or text us through the Wolf app. Danielle texted us, "I definitely flash drivers if there is a cop ahead, but I also flash them if they're driving like an ass, so that they'll think there's a cop ahead and stop driving so stupidly." Chris texted in, "I used to flash my lights. Not anymore. These towns are so hard up for money that now it has become someone has to pay. Might as well be them instead of me. And who knows maybe I saved a life by letting them get caught."