so me and my dad were driving in a car down a long road,
then this other car coming toward us on the opposite side of the road flashed it's lights at us.
so my dad said 'back in south korea, drivers would warn others that cops were near via the headlights'

anyway, about 50m later a police car appeared (hard to see as well, because it was in the shadows.
the driver saved us a $220 fine.


any other instances or subtle ways to alert other drivers against possible dangers and/or cops (excluding the horn obviously)
ie. sometimes if there's something wrong with your vehicle ie. the petrol tank access door is open, the car behind will flash it's headlights.

Yeah, your old man is right. It's not just a South Korean thing, though - otherwise the guy that flashed you would have had to have both been South Korean and have known youse are South Koreans. It's a pretty much universally known signal, so recognised that there's actually a law specially draughted against it (just a fine).

If a car travelling behind you flashes it's headlights, it usually means pull over (there's something amiss) or get the fuck outta my way. You can tell which by how close they are behind you.

The only other things I can think of are dropping it back into Neutral while cruising at low speed / residential and revving it, overtaking then slowing down, and following along beside waiting for eye contact - and then the nod..
..all of which are provocations to race.

It's all just common sense I guess, and some has evolved through regular use to be well known. To be signals we rcognise. We don't need words to communicate messages. Someone pulling up beside you, honking, then pointing frantically at a blindspot on your car is pretty disconcerting though.

Someone pulling up beside you, honking, then pointing frantically at a blindspot on your car is pretty disconcerting though.

gremlins.

This police warning is very rarely used these days, at least here in the southwest USA. Occasionally people will use their hazards instead of flashing the lights. Flashing the lights usually means 'hey dumbass, you forgot to turn your headlights on.'

why do you think that is?

the loss of close-knitt communities?

perhaps the availablity of police radars

Over here, someone flashing their headlights at you means you haven't turned your headlights on. Or it's also done when you cut someone up...

I haven't heard of a signal for the police though.

Here in the southeast it is a common thing. I do it as a courtesy, just don't do it in the middle of town....like said before, there is a fine involved.

In the NE or at least locally one flash is headlights off and two/strobe flash means cops ahead.

Coincidentally I once flashed my lights at a cop because he didn't give way at one of those traffic calming islands that clearly stated it was my right of way. It was dark and I didn't know it was a police car at the time but figured I was in the right so was a bit pissed when he followed me and pulled me over for giving way to a bus (bus was indicating to pull out).

Bit of an odd conversation followed, with me trying to be polite whilst making sure he knew that he was clearly in the wrong:
cop: "Do you know why I pulled you over"
Me: "Was it because I flashed my lights at you when you didn't give way"
Cop: "yes...um, have you been drinking?"

Eventually he gave up and let me drive off... wanker

People don't seem to flash there lights around here apart from if they are thanking you for letting them go or signaling you should go, or they are angy. Kinda good really because when your arse is foot from the ground those Xenon bulbs are blinding even when dipped.

Kinda good really because when your arse is foot from the ground those Xenon bulbs are blinding even when dipped.
Even when you're not grinding your arse on the road in an average car, those fags with HID kits are still downright dangerous. I used to drive a lot of miles on unlit country roads, and my worst fear was coming head on with HIDs. Complete blindness for 10 seconds - I ended up watching the hedge out the passenger window and using that as a guide.

Officer, I was just checking my headlights!

I've had my ass saved because of someone flashing headlights once before. I do it as a common practice now. :)

yeah dude it's hella common in australia for drivers to do that.

I normally do it to, I have been saved so many fines from people flashing their lights at me.

one time i didn't, there was this WRX full of leb guys doing easily 150 km/h with a highway patrol car sitting 1km down the road behind some bushes. I could see him from my lane but the guys go back the way I came wouldn't have seen him until after they went past.

I didn't flash my lights cause the driver looked like a fuckwit haha.

The rules I'm used to are:
turning lights off then on once = "your headlights are off"
turning lights from dim to bright once = "turn your brights off"
rapidly turning lights on and off multiple times during daytime, or from dim to bright multiple times at night = "cop waiting ahead!"

One extra thing I personally do when driving on the interstate, either while leading a group of speeding cars or just driving the speed limit and notice a speeding car coming up behind me, is lightly tap my brake pedal (just enough to make the lights come on, not to slow me) a few quick times when my radar detector goes off to let the cars behind me know that there's a cop ahead.

If you come to a four-way stop and your turning left, the person going straight might flash their lights to give you the go ahead.

I believe it's called the maritime flick.

You might have your brights on and not realise it. Especially if every car you pass is flicking at you.

I use it for lurking police or a roadblock or to express my deep dismay. Generally, flashing the headlights doesn't work to get people to turn on their lights and yeilds little in the way of anything else.

I do, however, leave on the high beams until the other person turns off theirs or, if there is a car behind them, will leave them on for a second or two. Usually they get the message. :)

I do, however, leave on the high beams until the other person turns off theirs or, if there is a car behind them, will leave them on for a second or two. Usually they get the message. :)

So what happens if the other competitor in the game of headlight chicken is thinking the same as you're thinking, B1?

So what happens if the other competitor in the game of headlight chicken is thinking the same as you're thinking, B1?

Swerve into the other lane, of course.

Swerve into the other lane, of course.

never swerve, never surrender, never give up... remember the swerver is the CHICKEN!

as for flashing headlights - it use to be a a courtesy for sure, then it still exists in the country... but it is "suppose" to be illegal... geesch!

I used to flash my lights at drivers without their lights on. Then one of my friends told me there is some sort of gang initiation now where they drive around without their lights and shoot up the first person to flash their lights. Don't know if its true but its outlandish enough where i could believe it so i dont anymore.

^^^ http://www.snopes.com/crime/gangs/lightsout.asp

It's common practice to warn for the police here too. Not just for speedtrapping, but there's a lot of disregard here for things like road tax, many people use agricultural diesel illegally and the police soemtimes dip for it, etc. as many see the police here as foreign English aggressors.

I always flash my lights at oncoming traffic when they're approaching a speed trap.

One extra thing I personally do when driving on the interstate, either while leading a group of speeding cars or just driving the speed limit and notice a speeding car coming up behind me, is lightly tap my brake pedal (just enough to make the lights come on, not to slow me) a few quick times when my radar detector goes off to let the cars behind me know that there's a cop ahead.

I do that too.. It's best practice

I also flash my lights at oncomings when there's a cop sitting...

fuck the police :D

There are so many different meaning to headlight flashing depending on context that I know of. If one were to write down all the unwritten rules, it would easily make up another Highway Code.

The most common ones are:

If you are waiting at a junction to pull out and the car driving up the road you want to turn onto flashes you, he is letting you pull out.
If your headlights are off, people round here usually leave their main beam on for about a second or so, the amount of time it takes you to go "fucking dick with his main beams, Imma turn mine on and....... oh wait, my lights aren't on."
Driving on a motorway or country lane, approaching the crest of a hill or a corner (cause police round here always hide) and you get someone flashing you manically, there is a police car up ahead.
Of course you always get the odd knob-head policeman. The official use for headlight flashing in the highway code is to let another driver let you know are there. But nobody does that. Apart from the policeman who flashed my mate at a junction and my mate pulled out, get pulled over and a verbal beating. Is it any wonder people hate the police?
And finally, if you're driving up the motorway at 90mph and a silver car starts tailgating you flashing their lights, it is a BMW driver.

Slightly off topic, but amusing nontheless, a story regarding the stereotypical BMW driver.
I serviced my car a few days ago, and I was at the spares place. Seemingly my car doesn't exist, but due to the versatility and general amazingness of the K-Series, the guy had to go and look for some HT leads for a Lotus as it used my engine. Anyway, whilst he was away, a balding, middle aged man walks in, looking in a bit of a hurry. He looks at the desk, where no one is because he is out the back, paces up and down impatiently a few times, then says to me "'Ere! are you getting served or what?!" "Er, yeah," I reply calmly. Several minutes pass with this guy pacing up and down, looking at his watch and tutting every 20 seconds. Eventually the shop guy return with my HT leads, I pay and walk out, to an impatient sigh of relief from the middle aged man. As I was walking out I hear "Yeah, I need brake discs and pads for a Z3" Then as I drove out of the car park, I saw a silver BMW Z3, festooned with "1.8" all over the back.
It amused me anyway.

Yeah in the UK the most common use of flashing the headlights is to show people you're letting them in or out of busy traffic.

If you see a 1989 black Toyota Corolla heading towards you flashing its headlights furiously, it's because you've turned on your fog lamps when it's not foggy. This infuriates me, yet everybody else seems to ignore the fact that it's illegal and very distracting at night.

So what happens if the other competitor in the game of headlight chicken is thinking the same as you're thinking, B1?

Was that a Bananas in Pajamas reference or am I just crazy?

Was that a Bananas in Pajamas reference or am I just crazy?

It was indeed.