PalQ

In years of driving in France and other European countries, but especially in France i'm perplexed by the tradition of drivers flashing their headlights like some mad light show at a rock concert to announce to traffic going the other way that there is some kind of speed trap or police check up ahead.
My conflict: Do I do as the Romans do and flash my headlights as well to warn others - it's not just a few that seem to flash but nearly every car or truck at times - and help law breaking, or do i do nothing, thus breaking local custom.
Well though i appreciate the oncoming warning i don't feel right doing it myself, bringing my American driving experience where this would never be Kosher to do and in fact may be a violation of the law itself (much like putting coins in expired meters ahead of the meter maid is). And it encourages speeding, which costs extra petrol use and causes higher highway accident rates. (Since the French crackdown in recent years on both speed and booze, the latter thru spot roadside checks, the roads have become much safer. Gone are the days when speed limits were posted only and rarely enforced - i'll never forget on the autoroute being in a line of cars tooling along at about 20 km over the posted limit and passing a cavalcade of police cars! And apparently also gone are the wine or booze filled lunches for business types who have to drive.)
QUESTIONS- Do you blink warning lights yourself in Europe? Or do you think there is anything wrong with this?

rapunzll

I have seen people do this here in the US too. I don't have a problem with it, no matter where it is. Look at it this way........... if you flash your lights, or someone else does, it will make other drivers slow down, and that's a good thing, right?

Michael

I did as others did in Romania last year. I see nothing wrong with it. But I did not see any of it in the Dordogne this summer, or in Portugal. I must not have been on heavily traveled and monitored roads.

john127

This happens here in NYC as well, although not as much as it did 20 years ago. I don't think it's a European thing.

jody

I've seen that all over the US, more so than in Europe

TuckH

On our last trip in Italy recently, I recall commenting to my wife that one doesn't see cops lurking behind the bushes (and the flashing headlights) like we commonly see at home.

J_Correa

We do this a lot in California too. I don't see a moral quandry.

One question though - is it REALLY illegal to put money in someone else's parking meter to help them avoid getting a ticket? I do this - a random act of kindness sort of thing.

flanneruk

If, in a democratic society, the government has decided not to pre-announce speed traps, it's no business of yours to subvert that. Flashing might slow traffic down - but that's absolutely none of your business.

Flashing is to signal an emergency. By joining in this idiotic "let's all undermine the police" nonsense, you help kill the significance of signalling emergencies.

Don't do it. It is, for what it's worth, illegal in some countries (such as Britain), though the police have better things to do than enforce this.

PalQ

Funny i drive a bit and have never seen this in US - I'm not doubting the above posters about it. And yes in my town putting coins in expired meters ahead of the ticketing person is illegal.

Dukey

It has been happening in the US, literally, for decades and I can remember people talking about on-coming flashing headlights as an indication of a "whammy" up ahead as early as the late 1940's.

You say that you don't feel right doing it yourself yet your post is titled as a "moral quandry" (SIC). Are you asking if it is one for others because it apparently isn't one for you and I gather from the posts above it isn't one for a lot of other people, either.

Stellarossa

I'm guessing it's a real slow day in the cubelife of palq, right?

Just had to post something, anything so people knew you were still around?

Flash your lights. Don't flash your lights. Do you ask people what you should eat for dinner each day? You sound like those sad people who call into Dr Laura and ask things like 'I am my mother's son, am I morally obligated to go to dinner with my husband's wife because the last Christmas but one she left my name off her christmas card?'

No one cares.

Dohlice

I've only seen it in the US and you can get a ticket for it at least in some states.

PalQ

I actually like discussions like this and have posted several moral questions - and often find out that my thinking changes with the discussion. That's one of the things i love about Fodors. Why do people post? Well what's the difference to you you don't have to read it - your nice comment says a lot about you - maybe you could talk to Dr Laura about your negativity - I raise what i think is an interesting question for me at least and you slam me.
Have a nice day NOT!

SAnParis

I do it, but not as much as I used to due to the increase of unmarked cars here in the US. Why not help folks around 'Boss Hogg' hidin' up ahead in the bushes ?

Stellarossa

Well some people post to give and receive useful information.

Your opinion changes during a posting because your are easily influenced which is borne out by the fact that you asked the question in the first place whereas everyone else would flash or not flash and wouldn't feel the need to ask strangers on the interwebs whether they should or not.

I don't rate Dr Laura. A blanket belief that every mom should stay home with their kids until they are of school age is rather hackneyed and simply not credible in the 21st century.

janisj

J-Correa: To answer your question, in many places it is illegal for anyone - the driver <b>or</b> a good samaritan to feed a meter.

In my No Calif city for instance most meters are 2 hours -- and that is the limit of stay. If one keeps feeding the meter and parks over 2 hours they get a ticket even if the meter is still good. Not only could the driver get a ticket - you might too. But generally it will only be the driver.

Parking meters are only partly for revenue - they are mostly to control parking in congested areas. All-day parking here is allowed in garages or in a couple of neighborhoods where there are 10-hour meters. But these areas are several blocks from the center of town/most stores/office bldgs.

Dukey

As a follow-on: my suspicion is that a lot of the same people who politically, if not in any other way, purport to be &quot;law and order&quot; types are often the very same ones who think of the police as the &quot;thems&quot; when it comes to enforcing laws such as speeding.

These people will be flashing those headlights frantically in order to help others avoid a &quot;speed trap&quot; yet these same folks are the ones who yell the loudest when the &quot;police don't do their job&quot; or they discover people out there who are &quot;soft on crime&quot; or that &quot;criminals have too many rights&quot; and so forth.

rapunzll

Trying to start problems Dukey?

PalQ

Stella: and some folks like snipe because it gives them the jollies to deflate the fun of others - indeed the novice driver to Europe will find the topic useful info. I do have fun thinking about topics to talk about - i wrote and edited my own European travel magazine for decades and have now retired and like an old workhorse use Fodors as my vehicle to keep from being bored and i genuinely enjoy the discussions about things other than hotels, restaurants and shopping. Thanks to the likes of you i'll never be bored - anger is an energy in the words of a famous rock song - i may post more than ever before! Thanks.

Nikki

A police officer here in Massachusetts told me many years ago that at first he got angry with people who flashed their headlights to warn of speed traps, but that he came to see it as a way of slowing traffic down and it didn't bother him. He'd just move to another location and let the drivers slow each other down over there.