I was driving up the A64 to Scarborough yesterday and I'd been behind two wagons carrying old steam rollers for a few miles.

We got to a stretch of dual carriageway and I passed one of the wagons, then a bloke in a Corsa pulled into the right-hand lane and sat in front of me doing 65. Nothing near in the inside lane and the single carriageway was in sight. I wanted to get past the second wagon.

So I flashed my headlights. No response. So I turned on my full beam for 15 seconds or so. He pulled over and gave me such a dirty look as I passed. Then he pulled back into the outside lane and sat blocking it again.

So the question is, do you consider drivers flashing to get past rude, or is it just a polite request for you to pull over.

Personally if someone flashes me and there's space to pull over I will, immediately. It's only polite I think!

Yes most people do think its aggressive because the numpties believe that the speed they are travelling is clearly the safest and get rather offended when someone should alert them to their prescence.

Full beam for 15 seconds is a bit harsh. I usually just give them 2 or 3 quick flashes in case they haven't seen me (or checked their mirrors for a few miles). Saying that though, I drive a Mondeo, so they probably expect me to drive like a ****

Chris

Well in your case it was probably considered aggressive, but sometimes you have to make a point. Middle/outside lane hogs who aren't passing anybody do sometimes need a reminder about lane discipline, but being the kind of people they are, they're likely to react badly. Nothing you can do about it.

The other car shouldn't be there but flashing your lights is always going to be seen as aggressive in this situation and something I try to avoid doing. I prefer to put my right indicator on to let people know I want to pass but I'll only do that if I've been held up for quite some time when the left lane is clear.

I generally only flash as a last resort. There are drivers about, though, who seem to think they can drive in any lane they like, at whatever speed they see fit, and are very hard to shift. Typically even if you do get past them, they pull straight back out again behind you, even though they're not travelling any faster than the traffic in the lane to their left. Sometimes undertaking looks like the only answer :(

Something I noticed when driving in France was that people there are much better at lane discipline on the motorways. I got flashed to pull over once, because I was sitting in the left lane - forgot to pull back to the right

I didn't take offence or regard it as aggressive - just pulled over and let him pass.

15 seconds? I would of given you a dirty look to.

15 seconds? I would of given you a dirty look to.

Thinking about it, it was less - maybe three or four seconds. A good flash though.

Exaggerating again, sorry!

I generally try not to be an aggressive driver, but you've all made me realise I was being too impatient yesterday. Too fixed on getting past the truck ahead.

Wrist duly slapped!

If the other lane was free he shouldn't have been there, so I don't think it was agressive. But people who zoom up to your bumber at about 90mph and start flashing you because they want to carry on speeding past when you don't want to get to 90mpg just to find a gap to pull back in are agressive idiots.

I generally only flash as a last resort. There are drivers about, though, who seem to think they can drive in any lane they like, at whatever speed they see fit, and are very hard to shift. Typically even if you do get past them, they pull straight back out again behind you, even though they're not travelling any faster than the traffic in the lane to their left. Sometimes undertaking looks like the only answer :(

Yep , same here.

If I want to go faster than someone and they are already at or above the limit then I'll wait for them to pull over or for an overtaking opportunity.

I don't think that you have the right to expect them to go faster if they don't want to , unlike the people who tend to come up behind me flashing.

If they are bimbling along hogging the middle or right lane below the limit then I'll give them chance to pull over first. Then depending on the road I may give them a brief flash (not 15 seconds!) or if it's safer , undertake.

The one that always baffles me happens on a three lane motorway. I can be in L2 passing slower cars in L1 when someone else comes up behind me and sits on my bumper. When I have passed what I'm passing and move back to L1 the car behind will then speed up and go past me. Why they don'tpull out into L3 and overtake is a mystery. Perhaps they are scared or thing they aren't allowed to use it. (like the woman I work with who didn't think she was allowed to use 5th gear unless she was on the motorway)

I just undertake them using the hard shoulder if necessary.

I never flash my lights.

Having said that,with a silver vRS (in fact a few) patrolling the motorways,its amazing how many people get out of the way/slow down when I go down the motorway.Suppose I shouldn't have my headlights on all the time...but sod it...it's great

maybe that's the answer - drive with the Xenons on all the time.

I never flash my lights.

Having said that' date='with a silver vRS (in fact a few) patrolling the motorways,its amazing how many people get out of the way/slow down when I go down the motorway.Suppose I shouldn't have my headlights on all the time...but sod it...it's great [/quote']

i get that all the time with mine, i think the tinited windows spook them out a bit as well though, i often find passengers looking out the rear window trying to see if that silver car holding a fixed distance behind them is a police car or not

i have flashed in the past... as a last resort though and purely due to drivers going too slowly in the lane they are using and when nothing is stopping them from pulling back over out the way.

Headlamps that flash alternately left and right would be SO cool!

Headlamps that flash alternately left and right would be SO cool!

Ohh yes!

I never flash my lights.

Having said that' date='with a silver vRS (in fact a few) patrolling the motorways,its amazing how many people get out of the way/slow down when I go down the motorway.Suppose I shouldn't have my headlights on all the time...but sod it...it's great [/quote']

Same here if I am nailing it people slow right down as there are a couple of Black vRS coppers round by me, or on the other side of the coin if I am having a slow day at say60mph then people pass me very gingerly.

Flashing is not very effective though as most people ignore their mirrors. :grumpy:

I find that just giving them a little tap focuses their attention

God if you flashed me on high beam for 15secs i would follow you home or until you stopped and then politly ask you what you wanted ;-)

Joking aside, 15 secs is a little harsh, but I would flash someone as a last resort, however if I was flashed as someone wanted to get past me just for the space I would be quite annoyed as usually they only want to get in front and I cannot move forward due to other drivers in front.

Having said that,with a silver vRS (in fact a few) patrolling the motorways,its amazing how many people get out of the way/slow down when I go down the motorway.

And the best bit...the faster you go, the quicker they get out of the way...

Rob.

Hmm........

I didn't read your question fully, and i voted for "yes it's rude.....I wouldn't get out of the way".......

But on retrospect........

If there's another lane, use it.

If not, and they really are just doing 50mph, then maybe a very quick flash is in order, but from a distance.

Last bloke who flashed me was a jackass in a black 3 series on the M1.

Right up my jacksie, at the wrong side of the NSL.

I should have moved over, but being young, inexperienced, deluded with ideas that the Octy was an F1 car and I was Ayrton Senna, I didn't....I flexed my right foot.....he wasn't taking the hint, so i did move over when it was safe to do so. But the flashing of his light every 5 seconds was just plain irritating.

Needless to say, I'm older, wiser, and much more likely to be in the middle lane doing 70.....

I just undertake them using the hard shoulder if necessary.

I find that just giving them a little tap focuses their attention

You do that to ?

I do both

First the little "love tap", if that doesn't work, give it the full monty undertake, hand firmly on horn

Nick, alternate hedlamps are so passe, you need some little blue LED strobes behind the grill. Combined with xenons, I find people move out of the way rather quickly (alledgedly, in theoiry, hypotheticallyy etc etc )

The only people I've had flash me tended to be in more expensive cars (BMWs, Jags), and have only done it in heavy traffic. Each time I've made a point of staying in the outside lane (we don't do much 3-lane stuff round here), occasionally checking my washers...

If the inside lane was free, I would have - in theory - already got out of the way. But the fact that I'm effectively being held up by the car in front does not mean mr jag can expect to shove past...

No probs with people using them if the car in front is hogging the outside lane with no surrounding traffic, or to get someone's attention if they're not looking at what's going on, but definitely would not flash someone who I decided was "going too slow"...