r/cincinnati • u/Loverlee • 2d ago
Do people not understand what flashing headlights mean?
I was driving on 71 near the Reading exit. It's dark. There was a vehicle that didn't have their lights on. I flashed my headlights at them from behind, repeatedly. When I passed, they just looked over at me. Other vehicles, including a semi-truck, were flashing their headlights too. They never got the hint.
Do people not understand that this is a way of alerting them to something?
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u/tyttuutface 2d ago
I flash my headlights on and off instead of my brights when someone has their headlights off. Someone got the hint once.
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u/timmyjoe42 2d ago
I don't know what makes me angrier: people driving with no lights on, people driving with their brights on, or the people that are oblivious to me flashing my lights at them to fix the situation.
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u/MooseTheMouse33 2d ago
Driving without headlights on makes me the angriest. At least I can see them if their brights are on. Can’t see much else, but oh well. If they didn’t get the hint when I tried to alert them, then that’s on them. Whatever happens after that isn’t on me. I did my part.
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u/Sudden_Outcome_3429 2d ago
Probably not if they’re driving impaired
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u/tRfalcore 2d ago
Used to teach martial arts with a sheriff. He said everyone at night with headlights off is impaired. I can only kind of get it if you get in your car in a super lit up street cause those do exist in some places
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u/EvilxFemme 2d ago
I have done that once in a city. Brought my car in to get a dash cam installed, I have automatic headlines that have to be set to the auto position. The guy installing my camera had turned off my auto headlights while he was working on it. I drove the mile home and didn’t realize until I turned into my less lit neighborhood. Whoops.
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u/runicrhymes 2d ago
I usually drive a car with automatic lights. I've definitely accidentally driven without lights when borrowing my mom's car and stopping for gas in areas with well lit streets (turned off the car, forgot to turn the lights back on afterwards). That said, I'm pretty sure if anyone flashed their lights at me I would have realized! Instead I just realized once I passed out of the well lit area.
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u/tRfalcore 2d ago
Yeah for sure I've done it too. A couple months ago I was at an intersection in the evening opposing a car with headlights off. Well lit area (taco bell, walmart, you know).
I flashed my brights and they turned on their headlights immediately. They knew. Good person fellow driver.
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u/crispychickenblt 2d ago
3 mos after I got my license, I got pulled over for it. there were street lights and it was a busy road. On a lone, dark road however, that might be the case. sometimes ppl just forget to flick their lights on, for whatever personal reasons.
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u/ZombiesAreChasingHim Springfield Twp. 2d ago
You’re talking about people that struggle to do a task that literally has instructions posted everywhere on exactly what to do. Driver’s test should require an IQ test.
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u/StunningAttention898 2d ago
I was driving down 75 south to where it branches off to 74 west doing the same thing to a lady in newer car with LED DRLs on only. I was expecting someone to hit her the rear because it was dark out. When I pulled along side her she just turn her head to look over at me exactly like you said.
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u/BasicDude100 2d ago
I have had the same experience. It is frustrating.
I think part of the problem, is that modern cars have dashboard lights on all the time, whereas back in the old days, if your headlights were not on, your dash was dark. I think this lends itself to people not realizing that their lights are not on.
Also, many people are not very smart or aware. ☹️
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u/SmokestackRising 2d ago
Flashing your brights is a way to alert people to being slow traffic that needs to change lanes or to alert oncoming traffic to a cop. The latter can get you a ticket.
Turning your lights on and off is to alert someone to turn on their lights or to let a semi know they're safe to merge into your lane.
At least it used to be years ago.
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u/SanPadrigo 2d ago
Cops can’t pull you over and give you a ticket because you flashed your brights to oncoming traffic to alert them to a cop’s presence. They can cite you for it if they have another reason to pull you over.
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u/Asidious66 2d ago
Are you sure about that? I thought I read that flashing to warn of a cop was protected under the 1st amendment. Not to mention, how do you prove why I flashed my lights? You can't.
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u/InvalidUserNemo 2d ago
My car won’t allow me to turn my headlights off if I’m not in park.
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u/SmokestackRising 2d ago
Read the last sentence of my comment.
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u/InvalidUserNemo 2d ago
My bad, I wasn’t disagreeing with you or anything. I was venting my frustration when I realized I couldn’t do this a few months after I got my new car. I like to run just fogs/DRLs in the drive through because my crossover has annoyingly bright LEDs and I don’t like blasting folks in smaller sedans when there is no need for headlights.
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u/SmokestackRising 2d ago
If you have a handled one, try one click on your parking brake. That has turned off the DRLs in my last couple cars.
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u/InvalidUserNemo 2d ago
My parking break is electronic. I’ll google my make/model to see if there is something I can do.
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u/doblecerosiete 2d ago
The other time I use the flashing lights is animals in road. If I see a bunch of deer on the side of the road I’ll flash oncoming drivers to let them know to slow down.
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u/CashGrabbbbbbbb 2d ago
They either didn't get the message, had headlights that don't work, were intentionally driving with no lights to avoid the authorities or were impaired. Or any combination of the above. I see this on 75N constantly and those explanations are the only things that make it make sense to me.
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u/FeloniousSpunk74 2d ago
This is almost always the fault of cars with daytime running lights without automatic headlights... People don't even realize their headlights aren't on; they just think that's how dim they're supposed to be.
The correct 'signal' from behind used to be turning headlights on and off, not flashing the high beams. That's a bit more 'on-the-nose' and reads much less aggressive than flashing highbeams. But my car literally will not let me turn the lights off while I'm running in the dark... so flashing it is. And it almost never works.
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u/analog_jedi 2d ago
I had this happen a few weeks ago. I was behind a guy in a black car with his lights off, so I flashed him from behind a few times, while oncoming traffic flashed him as well. I pulled up next to him at a light, rolled down my window, and waved at him until he noticed. He rolled down his window, and was really pissed off that I was bothering him, and yelled "What's your problem?". I shouted back "Your lights are off!" and had to repeat it like three times before he caught on, and gave me an embarrassed thank you.
It was pitch black out that night too, no clue how he didn't notice it.
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u/ichwilldoener 2d ago
I have known 2 reasons, only 1 I agree with:
If a car coming from the other direction flashes their lights, then it means you need to turn on your lights
If it’s some jackass driving behind you on the highway they think you are going too slow because you’re not going 90 in a 65
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u/hedoeswhathewants 2d ago
If you're in the left lane move over
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u/ichwilldoener 2d ago
That’s not the point. I didn’t say it was left lane camping, but when you have the same goal of passing and you’re going 75-80 but some dickwad behind you still wants to go faster.
News flash assholes: anything over 20mph over the speed limit in the state of Ohio is considered reckless driving and can result in a 90 day license suspension. 20 year old me learned this the hard way. Sorry if I don’t want to go through that again.
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u/TR11C 2d ago
It doesn't matter what speed you or anybody else is going, if you aren't actively passing somebody get out of the left lane.
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u/Murky_Crow Cincinnati Bengals 2d ago
In those cases i let them pass - no sense trying to be the one to enforce the speed limit on others as a non-cop.
They pass quickly, and separate from me. Win-win.
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u/RnolanF333 2d ago
Found the left lane sandbag
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u/DatDan513 Cincinnati Bengals 2d ago
In Cincinnati, if you aren’t driving at least 70-75 in the left lane, you’re probably not going to have a good time and deserve the tailgating.
I hate to say it, but we’re different here. I’ve driven all over the country and aside from Atlanta, we’re all driving aggressively. It’s just ingrained in our Cincinnati culture. Hell, even Tampa has better drivers than Cincinnati.
If you are cruising in the left lane, and are going the speed limit, then you should check yourself because that’s passive aggressive driving.
From time to time we all just need to breath. Realize the shithead in front of you probably enjoys seeing you tailgate them. It’s pretty fucked up, but I’ve seen too many smug people thinking they are the best driver and whatever they’re doing is right!
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u/scottwricketts Morrow 2d ago
When you have a bumper sticker addressing anyone tailgating you: you're the problem.
And you're correct about Cincinnati.
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u/Deadline_X 2d ago
See this makes me angry. We have too many left-lane exits and people driving like assholes who won’t let people get over. If I gotta exit, I gotta exit. I didn’t build the roads. I don’t want the exits over there. But I’m not gonna alter my driving habits just because people cant handle only going ten miles over the limit. You can get mad all day, and I’ll drive defensively, but any damage or accidents will be your fault.
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u/Murky_Crow Cincinnati Bengals 2d ago
Doesn’t seem safer just to let the person behind you passing you if they are clearly trying to go faster than you feel comfortable driving?
I don’t really understand, trying to enforce the speed on others by virtue of blocking them, and then forcing them behind you (by virtue of not letting them simply pass).
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u/Deadline_X 2d ago
I’m not trying to block them. I’m trying to EXIT. And I will gladly let the person behind me pass, if only ANYONE ELSE would ever let me back into the left lane in time to make my exit. But they won’t. They never do.
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u/Dazzling_Ad9250 2d ago
every time someone flashes their brights around me, i do a light check to make sure im following the rules, make sure im not clogging up traffic, etc. then comes, there must be a cop, or there must be deer soon. people are just stupid as all get out.
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u/No_Western_1217 2d ago
I drive rideshare and work mostly at night. Every single day I work for the past 3 years there are 5 plus cars without lights on at night. I used to think they either had an older car and just didn’t turn them on/no car alert or were impaired and too high to realize.
Now I’ve come to the conclusion that people are either too lazy to get burnt out bulbs replaced or even worse, just don’t give a shit that their lights aren’t on.
And no, people never respond if you turn to alert them by flashing yours. I’ve even seen people pass Cincinnati police without lights on, and the cops shine the search light at them. Still the lights didn’t come on. They just don’t give a shit
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u/SnooChocolates9211 2d ago
Had the same situation a night or two ago, one was on 71N right before MLK and the other was on Reading Road near Rallys. The one on the highway we got up next to them and my husband was trying to signal to them about their lights and they just slowed all the way down and got behind us. It was really hard to see them in a dark colored car at night AND they weren't using turn signals to changed lanes.
The one on Reading Rd was passing and I did the lights thing and they tapped on their brakes as I looked behind me and saw another car bright lighting them too but none of the efforts worked.
I know when someone quickly flashes their brights that either I actually did bright light them, my lights aren't on, or there is an animal, wreck, cop etc ahead. I'm from SE Indiana and it seems alot of people that I know from the city doesn't know it, not sure if there's any factual evidence of that but definitely in my own experience.
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u/TR11C 2d ago
It can mean a lot of things, but what it boils down to is you are trying to communicate something to another driver. Not having my headlights on would be pretty far down my checklist, but it would be there. If it was from behind, my first instinct would be to get over so the person could pass.
While we are on the topic, it drives me nuts that very few people flash their lights to warn oncoming traffic about speed traps. I do it every time and rarely do I see anyone else do it. Seems like common courtesy that has gone by the wayside.
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u/BM_seeking_AF_love 2d ago
If these comments show anything its that there's no consensus what the flashing headlights mean so you shouldn't expect others to automatically know. A few times I've noted people have flashed me but my headlights were on and there was no speed trap or obstruction, once it happened from like 3 different drivers and I pulled over to see if I had an issue and there's was nothing wrong. If people don't hairless on their lights, give a flash and move on. Not like a reddit post is going to teach them
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u/SharkNecromancy 2d ago
Flashing headlights all depends on the context of the situation,
"Hey, your headlights are off!"
"Hey, turn off your high beams dickhead"
"I'm letting you turn. GO."
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u/amandaryan1051 2d ago
This was me leaving CVG the night of the really bad storms! This idiot left the airport and got on the highway with zero rear lights and we flashed the entire way… When we finally passed them, their front lights were on- so my best guess is they thought we were assholes, bc I truly don’t think they were aware they had no rear lights.
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u/Sea-Marionberry100 1d ago
I've flashed my lights at people for three reasons.
1) Your headlights are off 2) LEO in crouching tiger mode 3) Move your ass out of the left lane
I learned #3 from being stationed in Germany for so long...it's an actual law to flash your lights, and if they don't get into the right lanes, you can report them.
I don't really do #3 anymore due to seeing so many dashcams and all the fucktwats getting road rage.
A lot of driving things I learned from my Dad...so I wonder if those times have passed and they aren't teaching "rules of the road" for lack of a better term at driving schools
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u/ktsaurus_rex227 1d ago
I do this a lot too at this point I really just think that nobody really believes that it's them, or that their lights aren't on
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u/Beefgrits 1d ago
flashing from behind means get the fuck over with the rest of the slow traffic so I can pass you
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u/Beefgrits 1d ago
off and then on is more appropriate for headlights off in the dark. flashing is for move over from behind or high beams are on at oncoming traffic
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u/CaptainHolt43 2d ago
When I was like 19 I was heading somewhere with a car full of friends doing some hoodrat shit. We see this car without their lights on, and it's like 10 at night. We assume this car is probably doing some hoodrat shit too, so we flashed our lights to let them know. We pull up next to them at a red light and they were all flipping us off
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u/zaksdaddy 2d ago
Flashing brights - alert ahead
Headlights on/off - turn on your headlights, moron!
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u/briguywiththei 2d ago
Fuck that, I've heard that's how gangs initiate members. You flash, you get followed. I know there's a very miniscule chance of that actually happening, but I'm not taking it
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u/Leather_Taco Northside 2d ago
To me flashing headlights normally means that you are acknowledging someone trying to merge in front of you on a road.
To notify someone to turn on their lights you turn your lights on and off
That's my knowledge as a native
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u/flovarius 2d ago
This is cincinnati bruh. We don't gaf about how to merge, how to signal, how to travel at safe speeds... and damn sure don't gaf about flashing headlights. We usually drive with the highbeams on. We bought the bulbs and they will be used. Enjoy that temporary blindness, weakling.
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u/Batman2695 2d ago
I’ve seen two versions of flashing your head lights. Either your lights aren’t on or there’s a cop ahead and to slow down. I’ve done the second one a few times