Flashing Lights to Change Lanes

The problem with the high beam flash IMO...besides you blinding me...is that when I was in training I was taught a driver will high beam you if you are coming over too soon or are weaving over the center line while passing. Now I am worried some of these drivers will take it to mean come on over and take my bumper off

 

It never cease to amaze me hearing the things these trainers say .

 

I don't trust drivers in orange , blue , or red trucks .

 

not many can or know how to do that anymore or these days

 

Because it's the nice thing to do.
Flashing the lights just lets them know they're clear IF they want to come over. They don't have to if they don't want to, and some may be hammering down and want to stay in that lane (I'm looking at you, FedEx wiggle wagons) but you're just letting them know if they want to come over, they're clear to.

I do it most often with someone pulling doubles. Some times a truck will pass me and I'll forget. One embarrassing night I thought I flashed the lights to a passing semi only to realize it was a box truck. I started looking for a place to park shortly after that. I've even flicked the lights to a passing charter bus. Not Greyhound though, those guys drive crazy fast.

 

In my old century I used to flash my lights on and off for others drivers. In my 2013 Cascadia the headlights have some kind of stupid slowly dimming and slowly turning back on relay switch thing (along with every other #### light). So instead of a quick and noticeable on off on off, it does a slooooowwwwww off, slowwwwwwwww on which is less noticeable and annoying.

So now I just quickly flash my highs on and off. Not long enough to blind, but still enough to notice.

 

Why some drivers give a quick flash with the high beams. One is that they haven been taught never to turn off the head light when driving at night, and the other is in some states when you flash your lights, you can get a ticket for driving with your lights off when when you do not turn them back on soon enough. In any state you can be ticketed for turning of the lights at night, or in bad weather. At times it just might be an officer's tolerances level as to how long that quick flash lasted. Some states, the Police will flash their lights and talk to you on the CB to let your Big Truck over, it takes a while to get it all figured out.

 

Also don't forget that in some trucks, the headlights come on when you push the yellow knob in and there is no way to blink them off while moving. In those trucks, if you want to signal another driver, flashing high beams is your only option.

Which means I simply don't bother with it. Because for every driver who appreciates it, there is another who will claim their eyes are so delicate that they can no longer see anything when someone flashes high beams at them. I've been flashed in my mirrors tons of times and have yet to experience any kind of meaningful vision impairment as a result but that's just me.

Then again, when I pass someone at night, I don't stare directly at their headlights in my mirror because I am fully aware that those headlights might go to high beams at any moment. I pass, I watch the pavement in the other lane out in front of me and I take notice of the mirror with my peripheral vision only. If there is a high beam flash, I will see it on the pavement. If the headlights flash off, I will see the mirror get dark with my peripheral vision. If I don't see any kind of flash, I hold the lane a while longer and take a few very quick glances in the mirror to verify that there is plenty of distance between my trailer and their lights never looking directly at the headlights when I do. Then I signal making sure I'm not staring in my mirror when I do it in case they flash the beams once they see my signal as some drivers will do. Then I start over taking another quick glance or two in the mirror to make sure the picture is still as I expect it to be. Doing it this way, even if they flash brights at the exact moment I'm glancing in the mirror, it doesn't really impact my vision in the slightest.

Pretty simple really. If you stare right at the lights and keep staring at them, then yes your vision will be impaired for a while afterward when they go to brights. If you never look directly at the headlights (and you never have to) then it is nearly impossible for them have any significant impact on your vision should they go bright while looking in their direction. Which makes me suspicious of all these claims of being blinded by high beams. Were you truly blinded to the point that you had to pull over because you could no longer see well enough to drive safely? Or are you just looking for something to complain about? I think its the second thing with most of the complainers much more often than its the first but thats just me.

 

I just learned something.THANK YOU.i had no idea about the on/off as opposed to quick flash on newer trucks.I now will be forced to not mentally cuss a driver when i am flashed as opposed to on/offed!!

 

so what your saying, is that your seatbelt is broke and allows you to move forward??????

cuz u know, the seatbelt was designed to not let you move forward should you slam into something. thus, preventing you from crushing your chest into the steering wheel. or flying through the windshield. it wasn't designed to just hold your waist in the seat.