Flashing lights to get past someone

[Shifty]

best I have seen in a while: ambulance with lights and sirens on wideish urban road held up by car driver staying out wide for 200 yards. Car driver arrives at a point where the ambulance can pass on a righ turn lane in middle of road. Car moves right into lane further obstructing amulance (no signal of course). Mumbus (ML270) on school run. These people should be prosecuted[/b'].

No, they should be shot.....in the face.

[Chris GB]

No, they should be shot.....in the face.

Surely they should be shot in the kneecaps then the face?

Chris

[bonhead]

Undertaking' date=' in my opinion, is [i']far more[/i] impatient and aggressive than flashing them.

Remember, even in the highway code, flashing is to make someone aware that you're there, and undertaking shouldn't be done.

I'm not saying be right up their jacksie and flash and beep like mad. But I think it's safer to let them know you're there and want to pass than to go round them on the wrong side - in a lane that probably has slower moving traffic (and that fewer people expect cars to be passing on).

You could view it as taking the "path of least resistance". If you are in a que of traffic and your lane is moving faster than the outside lane without braking the speed limit, surely it is OK to pass. i would never condone actively undertaking but would always choose the "path of least resistance".

hope this helps answer both points.

Bone.

[Mort]

You could view it as taking the "path of least resistance". If you are in a que of traffic and your lane is moving faster than the outside lane without braking the speed limit, surely it is OK to pass. i would never condone actively undertaking but would always choose the "path of least resistance".

Yeah, the highway code says that when your moving faster than a queue of traffic in the outside lane, you may pass on the inside (but I dont see that as undertaking, as you wont be moving back into the outside lane). But if it's a single car and you see people just go around on the inside it's foolish (in my opinion).

You always expect people in the leftermost lanes to be going slower than you, I've seen many a time where people have glanced behind them, seen a car - not realised it's going faster than them becuase it's on the left, and then pulled into that lane assuming that the car wouldn't be closing up on them.

If you look to the right you will always assume cars are going faster than yourself, so people take more care. Undertaking (to get around a car) screws this up and is, in my opinion, far more dangerous and impatient than politely flashing somone to remind them that they are an obstruction.

[cra]

Fair enough, but thats still like saying "it's ok to do 120mph down the motorway if it's empty" - it's still wrong, and still dangerous.

That, my friend, is entirely debatable.

Getting back on topic....

I see nothing wrong with a 3 second flash to make another vehicle aware of your presence but NEVER while tailgating. That tends to wind people up.

[Mort]

That, my friend, is entirely debatable.

The danger part is debatable, the 'wrong' part is not.

[cra]

The danger part is debatable, the 'wrong' part is not.

In your opinion, good sir.

[WW_VRS]

I think more in the eyes of the law

In some places within the UK you will end up in court and an income-related fine if done for speeding at say 76 mph on the motorway. In other places (if they pull you) you'd end up with 3 points / fixed penalty.

Luckily I was on the latter area (naughty me was going a tad faster than that though) - a collegue of mine was done in Manchester area and ended up in court and it cost her a LOT more than 60 quid, not including loss of earnings etc.

[Mort]

I think more in the eyes of the law

I agree. I consider 'illegal' to be 'wrong'

[Chris GB]

There are plenty of things that are against the law that are not wrong. Eqully, there are plenty of things that are legal that are wrong.

Chris

[Shifty]

There are plenty of things that are against the law that are not wrong. Eqully' date=' there are plenty of things that are legal that are wrong.

Chris[/quote']

Kicking your wife's back doors in is a perfect example......

[cra]

I agree. I consider 'illegal' to be 'wrong'

There are a many things that are illegal but are not wrong, in certain cirumstances.

The skill is being able to exercise good judgement.

[HotVRs]

As for getting out of the way' date=' the Highway Code is very specific:

and section 145

There are others, but I can't be ar5ed to look 'em up [/quote']

Thing is, in this country the Police can't be bothered with lane hoggers, if there was a fixed camera for it that made money it would be different.

[robmawer]

Thing is, in this country the Police can't be bothered with lane hoggers, if there was a fixed camera for it that made money it would be different.

I've seen police vehicles driving along the outside lane flashing people to move over and with "keep left when not overtaking" lit up in the rear window. So I think it's something they can be bothered with, just it's quite "resource intensive"...

Rob.

[lfc958swmbo]

tend to use the indicator method as it seems to be less aggressive than flashing you lights.Husband introduced me to this as he lived in Germany and this seems to be the accepted way of saying shift out of my way.However I do not get to use this often as in my little car I am limited to 83.9 and I have never checked if the limit works

Kathy

[Mort]

I do not get to use this often as in my little car I am limited to 83.9 and I have never checked if the limit works

Kathy

Smart car?

[lfc958swmbo]

Smart car?

It is a very clever little car

Kathy

[Mort]

They go more than 84mph

[lfc958swmbo]

They go more than 84mph

Only with a remap for mine and I like my license.

Only flash people to say Hello if its another smartie or flash in anger (wtf did you do that for!!!)

much prefer the indicator to remind them someone wants to go past.

Mind you both options only work if the person in front actually looks into the shiny thing on their windscreen .

[Spanner]

I've never flashed anyone before but just thought about doing it the other day. Stuck in the outside lane, there was a huge gap infront of the car infront of me who wanted to stay doing 60 so decided to give a brief flash and he moved! If i'd have waited and waited i'd have then decided to undertake which is always fraught with danger, are they suddenly going t move over when i'm going through, have they seen me?

[Mort]

Only with a remap for mine and I like my license.

Only flash people to say Hello if its another smartie or flash in anger (wtf did you do that for!!!)

much prefer the indicator to remind them someone wants to go past.

Mind you both options only work if the person in front actually looks into the shiny thing on their windscreen .

My girlfriends isn't remapped and has managed it' date=' just .

Surely using your indicator to get someone to pull over is just asking for them, and people behind you, to think that [i']you[/i] are about to pull into the other lane. Not convince them you want someone else to do it?

Even the police will flash their headlights at you as well as indicate if they want you to pull over.

I still stick with the flashing idea. It's letting them know you're there, not asking them to pull over - that's their choice.

[Dr_Pepper]

I hope all those people who said they would flash would only do so if the car they wish to overtake is travelling slower than the national speed limit.

If I am doing 70 in the outside lane, and I could move in but I can see that in a few seconds I am going to come accross a car in the middle lane doing slower, then despite the fact that it may be safe for me to move over I would not do so, because you can't go any faster anyway without breaking the law. If I was flashed from behind this would make doubly sure I didn't move in and would also ensure that I took longer to pull in again after I have overtaken the car.

Other than that, sure if he's doing 60 in the outside lane with an empty middle lane then I would and have flashed.

[C.T]

If your in my way, and you don't need to be and choose not to get out the way, then I'll flash until the cow come home (or you move over)

I'll stop flashing if it is no longer safe for you to move over and I'll never drive up you ****.

However, when I was thundering along in the Octavia RS the other day (at about 160Kph, the road was 4 lanes wide and empty) some prat decided to pull out in front of me from the third lane. Brakes (They're very effective it seems),Horn, headlights, gestures nothing.... Then I passed him on the inside at about 120Kph, he didn't even notice me because he was on the phone! No one respects Skoda here at all, you may as well be invisible.

On another note, I never new that the indicator thing actually meant something somewhere. I'd only ever seen it in China were they do it but since they don't seems to have any road rules I though it was just something they had invented themselves. Live and learn

[ap0gee1978]

I hope all those people who said they would flash would only do so if the car they wish to overtake is travelling slower than the national speed limit.

If I am doing 70 in the outside lane' date=' and I could move in but I can see that in a few seconds I am going to come accross a car in the middle lane doing slower, then despite the fact that it may be safe for me to move over I would not do so, because you can't go any faster anyway without breaking the law. If I was flashed from behind this would make doubly sure I didn't move in and would also ensure that I took longer to pull in again after I have overtaken the car.[/quote']

Without being funny, I remember seeing a story (could have been on here, in fact) where that point of view resulted in someone being pulled over by the police for obstructing the public highway. IIRC, the reasons given by Old Bill were:

1. Obstruction is obstruction is obstruction - there's no excuse for poor lane discipline (although if you'd only end up moving back out again in a few seconds it's probably OK)

2. 70 mph on your speedo is in fact about 66mph, and it's not your job to police the speed of other motorists anyway

3. Just because you can't see a flashing light / hear a siren doesn't mean it's not an emergency vehicle. Doctors attending an emergency will have no siren and may only display a single green flashing light which it's possible you can't see in your mirror

4. If someone really was just being an @rse and you held them up deliberately, you could be inciting a road rage attack

So be careful...

My personal response is that if I end up stuck behind a car for more than a short time, and there's adequate space to pass on the inside without putting myself or others in danger, I will do so. I know that two wrongs don't make a right and all that, but sometimes it's the only way to make progress...

[Dr_Pepper]

I simply meant that if it were going to inconvenience myself I wouldn't move over just so that someone can go at 80mph.

And why do people always use the "your speedo is wrong" as an excuse? Well some may be but as I already said mine is accurate to a gps thing. You can make progress if you like by undertaking but it will be breaking the law twice - for undertaking and for speeding. And I'm sorry I don't approve of either - it's also these people that will be and are targeted by the police, not people doing 70 in the outside lane. I've seen several undertakers pulled over.

Anyway Don't want an argument so now I've made myself clear I'll leave it :D