Do you flash your lights?

Speed traps are bogus crap anyway. If the goal is to get people to follow posted speed limits, then law enforcement should get out in traffic and make their presence visible. Also, the validity of any traffic ordinace is subject to a number of criteria that should determine its validity and effectiveness. If those criteria aren't being met, then the ordinance was either poorly structured or poorly implemented. I seem to recall in Seattle reading that for traffic control devices (i.e. the lines painted on the road, road signs, etc.) that one of the criteria for determining if a driver could be subject to ticketing for violating the device was that the device had to be generally and widely accepted and respected by the drivers subject to the device. Logically, it seems to me that if the majority of drivers are speeding along a particular road on a consistent basis, then that speed limit is ineffective and needs to be changed. Of course, since when does the law, its enforcement, and adjudication have anything to do with logic?

BTW, anyone know how to go about having a speed limit changed (up or down) along a road? There are a couple in my area that are completely idiotic and seemingly arbitrary.

even if i only see one cop in the median, i flash for the next mile or so. i also flip them off below the sight-line of my greenhouse.

I flash my High beams when I see a cop sitting and will usually get some kind of response but I don't see it done by other people very often anymore unfortunately.

I very seldom get flashed, but I always flash if I can. As you say so many of the set ups are flash proof for a good ways.

I think it is my duty.

Yes, I consider the warning-flash to be good driver etiquette.

I'm expecting a ticket in the mail right now. < 10 km/h over, ~$145 .

Luke wrote: Yes, I consider the warning-flash to be good driver etiquette. I'm expecting a ticket in the mail right now. < 10 km/h over, ~$145 .

Less than 7mph over? Wow.

mtn wrote:

Luke wrote: Yes, I consider the warning-flash to be good driver etiquette. I'm expecting a ticket in the mail right now. < 10 km/h over, ~$145 .

Less than 7mph over? Wow.

x2. Dude, if you weren't in a hospital zone or something, you're being raped.

EDIT: Is the Aussie dollar worth more than a US one yet?

Yep, just .

It was a regular street in a non-residential area, 60 km/h zone, and I figure I was doing a little under 70 (hard to tell exactly - the Saab's speedo needle is kinda erratic .) Instinctively tapped the brakes when I saw the radar gun, but the cop gave me a smartass, shoulder-shrug, "too bad, buddy!"-look, when I passed him. I was "caught" speeding in a similar manner about a year ago, 8km/h over = $145, but no demerit points. As someone else mentioned, a stronger police presence would be a properly effective method of increasing road safety. Unfortunately, blatant speed-trap revenue-raising has become commonplace over here.

...maybe that lot should be in the 'rant' thread

I've been saved a ticket or two by people flashing me ( that doesnt sound right). So I pay it forward and flash whenever I remember it. Something I remember my Dad used to do, though you don't see it as often as you used to. Maybe the era of radar detectors reduced the practice?

I will turn my lights off and back on in rapid succession, rather than flash my high beams to warn about speed traps. I will flash the high beams to let truckers (and any one else who realizes what it means) that there is room to merge. I have also warned drivers to turn their lights on by turning mine off and back on again right behind them.

Unfortunately most people just think I'm being an shiny happy person, so they don't usually benefit from the information.

I always flash my lights for speed traps and to let truckers know there is room to pull back over. It seems like very few people do that anymore.

I turn my lights off and on again to let truckers know there is room to merge.

A good friend of mine runs lidar on the side of one of our highways. He will get cars at almost 1/2 a mile away. Likely before most can see his light bar. Truthfully he doesn't write until you hit 75 in a 60. I told him the truckers were calling him out five miles ahead. He didn't care. He was glad to hear they were slowing down in his city. The response would have been the same, although you cannot turn your brights on in Missouri if they interfere with another vehicles ability to operate, which would include flashing other vehicles unless you are passing in the opposite Lane of traffic

I think you would find the general feeling among officers about like this.

In reply to N Sperlo: That forum thread pisses me off... officers conspiring to abridge the right to free speech.

In reply to darkbuddha:

I believe the main outcome of the thread was, "who cares, let them flash their lights add long as they drive safely." That doesn't piss you off, does it?

No, not that part, but there were plenty of comments in there about ideas to ticket light-flashers. I haven't gotten a ticket in 15 years, but I'm annoyed by the fact that law enforcement seems to focus on speeding as the primary traffic law violation to ticket for. In my community (Sarasota Fl.) they should be more focused on distracted driving, erratic and dangerous driving, running stop signs and lights, and other moving violations, but that would require being in and amid traffic on a regular basis. But instead I regularly spot cops sitting in medians with a radar gun out, especially in areas that have poorly set speed limits. (BTW, I flash my lights every time!)

Its very hard to enforce many of the laws you noted. C&I can be easy as well as signs and lights, but every time someone sees a police car they become the worlds best driver. Thats why police hide or sit art a distance.

Out where I work it gets a bit crazy, but the police are under powered and are more worried about violent crimes.

Some departments do it the wrong way, and thats what that forum thread has shown. Some want to enforce it, but others attempt to remind him that gee needs to relax and let it go. Maybe he was inexperienced and needed steering in the right direction.

The practice has really declined in my lifetime. I stopped because no one coming the other way ever knows why I am doing it.

N Sperlo wrote: Its very hard to enforce many of the laws you noted. C&I can be easy as well as signs and lights, but every time someone sees a police car they become the worlds best driver. Thats why police hide or sit art a distance.

I'm not following at all... if the goal is for drivers to be "the worlds best driver" (which it is, right?), and if that's accomplished when folks see a police car, shouldn't law enforcement choose to be visible rather than hide or sit at a distance.

As for enforcement of stuff, I see law enforcement choose to ignore far too much obviously bad, reckless, and dangerous driving on a consistent basis. In fact, I regularly witness officers in complete oblivion when they're in traffic (looking at their in-car computers, on their phones, reading, etc.). It's only when they're sitting in the shade on the side of a road that they pay any damn attention. If that ain't backasswards, then I don't know what is.

And let's really cut to it here... we all know law enforcement is using speed traps to generate tickets in order to generate revenue as much as it is to help manage traffic and speed violations. That is not right from so many different perspectives that I don't even wanna try to sum up. Suffice it to say that IMHO, anything done to further enable that effort (i.e. ticketing people for flashing their lights) is completely asinine.

It seems to me that if an officer pulls you over down the road for flashing your lights, that his mere presence on the side of the road with his lights flashing while he is writing you that ticket will be a much better heads up to drivers going in the other direction that the cops are out then simply flashing your brights would be.

So, I guess chalk one up for us?

darkbuddha wrote: I'm not following at all... if the goal is for drivers to be "the worlds best driver" (which it is, right?), and if that's accomplished when folks see a police car, shouldn't law enforcement choose to be visible rather than hide or sit at a distance. As for enforcement of stuff, I see law enforcement choose to ignore far too much obviously bad, reckless, and dangerous driving on a consistent basis. In fact, I regularly witness officers in complete oblivion when they're in traffic (looking at their in-car computers, on their phones, reading, etc.). It's only when they're sitting in the shade on the side of a road that they pay any damn attention. If that ain't backasswards, then I don't know what is. And let's really cut to it here... we all know law enforcement is using speed traps to generate tickets in order to generate revenue as much as it is to help manage traffic and speed violations. That is not right from so many different perspectives that I don't even wanna try to sum up. Suffice it to say that IMHO, anything done to further enable that effort (i.e. ticketing people for flashing their lights) is completely asinine.

I know plenty of officers who chose to be visible on the side of the road as well as those who hide. Truth of the matter is, what good is it to be visible when people will actively stop breaking the law when they see you and start again when they are out of sight. It does not enforce anything in most cases. Everybody slows down and drives perfect and goes right back to being a moron. When someone gets a ticket in an area regardless of weather the officer is hiding or not, they have a tendency to slow down (at least in that area) unless they are stupid, filthy rich, or both.

When you see police in traffic how the hell do you know they are not responding to something. Important information of life and death urgency DOES come across that screen believe it or not, so if an officer is responding to a call he may need that information. The officer may be going to say, serve a warrant and looks at the screen while sitting in traffic. Sure, that officer may not be seeing bad drivers, but instead they will be going to arrest a felon. Just because the reds and siren aren't on doesn't mean its not important. They also don't have eyes in the back of their heads.

A sheriff department is run by the state judicial system. If they are writing tickets or wolfpacking (you call it a speed trap) that money goes straight to the state unless they have a special program set up with the city. Same goes for state police. The money does not go to the department. I have never heard of a department giving a bonus for giving out more tickets. The officer does not care about making money from ticketing. Serving warrants pays much better and they would be doing that if they really wanted the money.

Should they ticket for flashing lights? I dont care. Go ahead and flash your lights, but all you're doing is enforcing peoples ability to control themselves only in front of authority. Some police actually want o make the world a safer place.

As for getting the speed limit changed in certain areas, find out if it is a state or city road, then contact a board member. Their usually pretty easy to get a hold of.

N Sperlo wrote: When you see police in traffic how the hell do you know they are not responding to something. Important information of life and death urgency DOES come across that screen believe it or not, so if an officer is responding to a call he may need that information. The officer may be going to say, serve a warrant and looks at the screen while sitting in traffic. Sure, that officer may not be seeing bad drivers, but instead they will be going to arrest a felon. Just because the reds and siren aren't on doesn't mean its not important. They also don't have eyes in the back of their heads.

I don't know what they're seeing and/or doing... but when I sit there in traffic, and then ride down a 40mph road for 5+ miles watching the same officer doing the same thing over and over with no sense of urgency, then I begin to suspect apathy and/or oblivion. Not saying it's necessarily true, but maybe I should start shooting video of officers doing this stuff and post it on youtube.

As for people's ability or inclination to abide by traffic laws when an officer is not around, I find that most get around just fine anyway. Again, IMHO, it's not speed that seems to cause the most issues where I am; hell, most people seem to be driving around under the limit most of the time... seriously. But living in a community where the average age is in excess of 62, I witness more accidents related to erratic and unpredictable driving than to speeding.

And as for where the money goes, why does it make it less likely that it's for revenue generation just because the funds go to the state. Seems most law enforcement agencies get significant amounts of funding from the state, and I have my suspicions about how those funds are re-dispersed related to how much criminal and civil infractions occur in an area (which would be documented through arrests and ticketing).

In any case, I have no issue with law enforcement enforcing the law. I do have a problem when law enforcement manipulates circumstances, conspires to abridge rights, unduly persecutes, or oversteps its bounds.

I'll relay the recent story of how a local deputy arrived at a typical evening open parking lot meet (on a week night no less) and told us we were all "loitering", while he shined his 10,000 watt flashlight in our faces and unsnapped the flap of his holster. No greeting, no attempt to create rapport... just typical intimidation behavior. We all made the wise choice to disperse, but as a 38 year old "grown up", I was bothered by this, especially when upon looking up the city and county ordinances, we were clearly not in violation of any of the ordinances governing loitering. What it came down to is that the deputy wanted us gone and he didn't care if he was violating our First Amendment right to assemble in a public space (as defined by the Supreme Court). And based on his demeanor and response to others' attempts to discuss it with the deputy, it was clear he would've dealt with any form of non-compliance with more aggressive intimidation.

My point being is that while we can say: "Oh, it's no big deal...", we have to be vigilant and protective of our own rights, especially if/when it is possibly being abridged or outright violated by those we've charged with enforcing and protecting them. In other words, we gotta step up or shut up. I vote for steppin' up.

... putting on my devil's advocate hat

So.... What is your reason or need to drive above the posted speed limit?

... somebody had to ask it

Perhaps to spend less time driving?