Flash to Pass: How it should work

"sm70- why not Duesenberg?" (sm70-whynotduesenberg)
09/02/2016 at 15:34 • Filed to: None

I was driving on I-80 in Iowa, a thing I am slowly coming to realize I will be doing a lot of. It’s not an interesting drive, but oh well. In this instance, I had the cruise set to around 80, which is more or less with the flow of traffic. It was around 8:30 in the evening, which means the sun had just gone down, which means about 2/3 of traffic had figured out to put their headlights on. I was starting down one of the bajillion and five gentle rolling hills that define this starch of highway, and up ahead of me, almost to the bottom of the hill, a milk tanker decided he wanted to pass the truck in front of him. This was one of those jobs where the truck in front was doing 65, and the milk tanker was doing 65 3/4. So the milk tanker pulls out, in no way close enough to be considered cutting me off, and I gently brake from 80 to 65. So far, no big deal.

Jump ahead three minutes. The cab door of the milk truck has just drawn even with the trailer wheels on the other semi’s trailer. Cars are now lined up behind me, none of them happy at having to slow down so much, and all of us realizing that we’re going to be here a while. I try not be be an aggressive driver, but this sort of blatantly inconsiderate driving by so-called professional drivers is one of the biggest pet peeves I have. So I moved slightly left to position my tires on the shoulder stripe and gave two quick flashes of the little mini-suns that BMW has deemed necessary to fit to a passenger vehicle.

This is where I always lose some people. To many, flashing your high-beams at a slower driver is a sign of road rage, like flipping the bird or brake-checking. They say it’s an escalating move and accomplishes nothing other than to anger the other party. So what did the tanker driver do? Brake-check me? Continue to block me for as long as possible? Brandish a gun? Nope. As soon as I flashed the lights, a little puff of smoke emitted from the twin stacks of the Kenworth, he sped up, and within 20 seconds he completed the remainder of the pass and was back in the right lane. I resumed my cruise control, blinked the hazards as a “thank you” when I passed him, and that was that. Exactly how it’s supposed to work.

Most people assume that flashing your high beams at a left-lane blocker does nothing at best, and at worst will generate some retaliation from the slower driver. I find that, in at least 60% of the cases where I use it, it works as intended. 35% of the time the driver will remain clueless, and in 5% of cases the driver will either do a tiny “brake check” that’s just enough to light up the brake lights, or flash their brights back at me when I pass. That’s it. Part of the reason for this is that I only do it on the open highway, never in the city. I avoid accompanying the flashing with tailgating (that clip with the Corolla is even closer that I would normally get), and I only do two or three flashes, never a lot of them or just leaving the high beams on. Once again, many people may say that the risks here outweigh the rewards, but as that !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , people dawdling in the left lane causes traffic problems. Sometime’s its just a matter of gentle getting their attention to make them move over. I’m not trying to convince you to start doing what I do if you’re uncomfortable with doing it. But I am pleading that you start to look at the flash-to-pass more like you look at a horn. Yes, people honk their horns a lot during road rage, but that doesn’t mean somebody is raging at you every time they honk. It’s all about how you do it. The same goes for the brights. When used resposibly, it’s just another way of communicating with other drivers. In my book, communication on the road is a big part of smoother and safer traffic.

DISCUSSION (26)

MonkeePuzzle > sm70- why not Duesenberg?
09/02/2016 at 15:37

oh... this post isn’t about college girls and what they show their professors to up their grades?

E90M3 > sm70- why not Duesenberg?
09/02/2016 at 15:37

I prefer to just turn the high beams on and leave them on until they either move over aka look up from their cell phone or I undertake them.

Batman the Horse > sm70- why not Duesenberg?
09/02/2016 at 15:38

I was driving in medium-ish traffic on the freeway in the carpool lane one time (going 75mph) and this tuner Honda screams up behind me at about 120. He gets right on my ass and beats out the Star Spangled Banner with his high beams. Sorry brah. Take it to the track. I did enjoy his noticeable meltdown in my rear view mirror, though.

Takuro Spirit > sm70- why not Duesenberg?
09/02/2016 at 15:41

People are just idiots. No one knows WHAT to do so everyone just assumes what everyone else is doing is wrong.

Until its made Federal Law, and everyone has to pass a test before allowed to do something, there’s not mush we can do to educate.

Honeybunchesofgoats > sm70- why not Duesenberg?
09/02/2016 at 15:42

Counterpoint: I live in New Jersey and commute to Philadelphia. I don't know much about Iowa, but I'm sure we have more assholes than Iowa.

ScoobsMcGee > Batman the Horse
09/02/2016 at 15:43

Would it have been possible to get out of his way? If so, was it really that important that you remained in front of him? It sounds like the Honda driver was being a dick, but if someone is being that aggressive, I tend to get out of the way quickly. Better them being a dick to someone else than putting you at risk.

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > MonkeePuzzle
09/02/2016 at 15:54

Sorry, having never been a college girl or a professor I can’t offer any insight on how that works.

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > Batman the Horse
09/02/2016 at 15:56

Yeah, he’s defintly doing it wrong.

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > Honeybunchesofgoats
09/02/2016 at 15:57

Fair enough, but that also give you more freedom to be an asshole yourself should you so choose.

Future next gen S2000 owner > sm70- why not Duesenberg?
09/02/2016 at 16:08

I find that, in at least 60% of the cases where I use it, it works as intended. 35% of the time the driver will remain clueless,....

This seems to be my experience.

DynamicWeight > ScoobsMcGee
09/02/2016 at 16:20

Rewarding dickish behavior promotes dickish behavior. If I am going the speed of traffic in a long line of cars, I am not moving over. I want to go faster too, but I can’t, because traffic.

Klaus Schmoll > sm70- why not Duesenberg?
09/02/2016 at 16:20

That would be illegal in Germany. Over here the only way to express your desire to move faster than the vehicle ahead is to use your left indicator, as if you wanted to move into a non-existant lane.

Tristan > sm70- why not Duesenberg?
09/02/2016 at 16:20

What am I to do? I live in Portland, so the aging hippie in the Subaru Outback driving 10 under in the left lane next to the aging hippie in the Subaru Outback driving 10 under in the right lane can’t see my high beams through the marijuana smoke and the wall of Bernie Sanders, coexist and eARTh stickers layered over the back window.

My citroen won't start > sm70- why not Duesenberg?
09/02/2016 at 16:23

The please fuck off double flash is something I do almost on a daily basis.

When that does not yield results the next measures are tailgating and sharking.

ScoobsMcGee > DynamicWeight
09/02/2016 at 16:27

I was thinking of no one being in front of him, but if there was a line of cars then absolutely. If not, executing dickish behavior in response to dickish behavior (enjoying upsetting the guy being a dick) is probably not a good call. Just let him pass and move on with your life.

Batman the Horse > ScoobsMcGee
09/02/2016 at 16:41

I was in the carpool lane, so no.

Batman the Horse > ScoobsMcGee
09/02/2016 at 16:44

There was moderate traffic and I’m in the carpool lane. I’m not moving. I didn’t NOT move because I wanted to antagonize, but it was an amusing side effect.

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > Klaus Schmoll
09/02/2016 at 16:48

That seems to be a law not followed. German cars are all fitted with flash to pass switches, and from the videos I've seen they use them early and often.

Klaus Schmoll > sm70- why not Duesenberg?
09/02/2016 at 17:24

I don’t see how a few seconds of a video that wasn’t filmed in Germany or the existence of a Lichthupe (light horn) that can be used to let other motorists into traffic in German cars are indicative of how the majority of people follow a law or not.

jkm7680 > sm70- why not Duesenberg?
09/02/2016 at 17:46

Wish more people did that.

I only tailgate people if they’re going 10 under the speed limit in the fast lane.

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > Klaus Schmoll
09/02/2016 at 17:54

Do they?

ScoobsMcGee > Batman the Horse
09/02/2016 at 17:58

Rock on then. Some carpool lanes are just third or fourth lanes outside the passing lane without separation. Its easy enough to get out of the way so someone can get around. Please understand that I completely agree that the Honda driver was doing it wrong. I feel that trying to police aggressive drivers by holding ground (when there’s no reason not to get out of the way) only serves to make a bad situation worse.

Klaus Schmoll > sm70- why not Duesenberg?
09/02/2016 at 18:01

Yes. Apart from very few assholes, but you have those everywhere. It is considered impolite to flash to make people move over.

Scott > sm70- why not Duesenberg?
09/03/2016 at 17:33

Yes the turn signal is far more common than flashing your high beams. As I understand it, that is also illegal. According to my driving instructor in Germany you are not allowed to do anything to force a driver out of their lane. That said high beams are doubly bad, even here in the US most states it is illegal to use your high beams within a certain distance of another driver, because of the blinding effect it can have. Turn signals are harder to enforce and are far less of a rude gesture because it does not blind other drivers.

From my experience your a little more likely to get the high beams during the day, but typically only if you are completely ignoring the turn signal, they may use it to ‘wake you up’ as it were. The other time I see high beams used, and probably still illegal, but more common than to ask to over take, is to let someone know that you see them and they can go ahead and go. For example a car waiting to turn left, and the light turns yellow, people often flash their high beams to let the person in the intersection know you see them waiting and they can go ahead and go. Often because you are not close enough to enter the intersection, but close enough the person may not trust pulling out in front of you. Also if your turning right and someone is waiting to pull out, you might flash your lights to let them know your turning before you get to them, so they can go ahead and go.

I still use most the good road manners I picked up in Germany, and it often confuses Americans, but every know and then I see someone that understands the signals and appreciates the courtesy, most often trucks.

AR24-7 > sm70- why not Duesenberg?
09/04/2016 at 17:59

Don’t you have to speed a ridiculous amount when driving in the New Jersey/New York area? I’ve heard if you go below 80 you pretty much die

brianbrannon > sm70- why not Duesenberg?
09/04/2016 at 18:33

I support this message