Warning other motorists

chipperhead

chipperhead

chipperhead

Soldato
Joined
7 Feb 2004
Posts
3,071
I was travelling through a village yesterday when I spotted a mobile camera van checking people coming in the opposite direction. So as I left the village I flashed numerous oncoming cars warning them to slow down and got a few thumbs up to acknowledge.

About an hour later I was on my way back home and was about to enter the same village but obviously now coming from the direction to be speed checked and was waiting for the cars leaving the village to warn me.

About 10 cars left the village and not one of them flashed, waved nothing. I thought the speed van must have left, surely someone would have signaled me. Anyway I kept within the limit went round a bend in the village and there he was.

Well anyway thanks for the heads up other motorists :mad:
I am now questioning my view on warning other motorists, is it just a case of everyman for themselves now or something?

What do other forum members do?
 
chipperhead said:
I was travelling through a village yesterday when I spotted a mobile camera van checking people coming in the opposite direction. So as I left the village I flashed numerous oncoming cars warning them to slow down and got a few thumbs up to acknowledge.

About an hour later I was on my way back home and was about to enter the same village but obviously now coming from the direction to be speed checked and was waiting for the cars leaving the village to warn me.

About 10 cars left the village and not one of them flashed, waved nothing. I thought the speed van must have left, surely someone would have signaled me. Anyway I kept within the limit went round a bend in the village and there he was.

Well anyway thanks for the heads up other motorists :mad:
I am now questioning my view on warning other motorists, is it just a case of everyman for themselves now or something?

What do other forum members do?
Click to expand...


As a guess, the other motorists remember the cases (at least two) of drivers giving warning flashes then being prosecuted for attempting to pervert the course of justice, and obstructing the police in the course of their duties, and decided the risk wasn't worth it?


M
 
Almost every biker warns other bikers of camera vans/cops, usually with a wave of the hand. See it happening far less often with car drivers though.
 
I personally always flash other cars, and do the same if theres something around a blind bend too, I see it as I'm preventing an accident :D
But it seems far less people are doing this these days :(
My dad aways phones up our local radio station to tell them to warn people if the police photographers are out :p
 
Meridian said:
As a guess, the other motorists remember the cases (at least two) of drivers giving warning flashes then being prosecuted for attempting to pervert the course of justice, and obstructing the police in the course of their duties, and decided the risk wasn't worth it?


M
Click to expand...

There was a case a few years ago where the police tried to prosecute a trucker for doing this under attempting to prevent the course of justice.

They lost.

http://www.speedcameras.org/speed-camera-news-article-print.php?id=115
 
I usually give a flash of lights & a thumbs down, my dad always did this so I do too!
 
Last edited:
I did a thread on this a while ago, they do a lot of it up here in Stafford..

Thumbs down and a beam flash from me.
 
I will flash oncoming drivers assuming I am not in a tail of traffic.

The people I tend to get the most "warning" from is truckers actually. I'll always remember the one who saved me about 2 years ago.
 
I was flashed by about 3 cars a week ago, 50meters later i come over the brow of the hill and there he is Mr "Safety Van" parked up in a laybe further down the road. I tend to flash and give a thumbs down.

Whenever i see a GATSO ill stick the hazards on too for a few seconds, just incase the guy behind me is doing 2mph over the limit :)
 
chipperhead said:
I was travelling through a village yesterday when I spotted a mobile camera van checking people coming in the opposite direction. So as I left the village I flashed numerous oncoming cars warning them to slow down and got a few thumbs up to acknowledge.

About an hour later I was on my way back home and was about to enter the same village but obviously now coming from the direction to be speed checked and was waiting for the cars leaving the village to warn me.

About 10 cars left the village and not one of them flashed, waved nothing. I thought the speed van must have left, surely someone would have signaled me. Anyway I kept within the limit went round a bend in the village and there he was.

Well anyway thanks for the heads up other motorists :mad:
I am now questioning my view on warning other motorists, is it just a case of everyman for themselves now or something?

What do other forum members do?
Click to expand...

id never experienced mobile unit before, untill leaving Silverstone one friday after noon. People was flashin me and i was like "WHAT THE HELL, I CANT SEE ANYTHING WRONG WITH MY CAR".... so anyway i proceded with caution just incase i had a flat i hadnt yet felt or something (only been driving 3 months) and just around corner was this pig......sorry i mean cop sitting in a mobile van pointing in my direction. I flashed everyone else from then on down that road :p


Ive also flashed to warn people of a flooded country lane, but most didnt even slow down till hittin the 6inches of water :rolleyes:
 
Depends where the camera is. I'll often warn people if it's a revenue generating on on a dual-carriageway or similar but, if it's in a quiet village on an otherwise NSL road, then anyone who charges through without slowing down deserves to get done tbh.
 
I sometimes flash the other cars, depends on where the camera is though. I remember coming back from Luton airport with 1 of our Italian suppliers in the passenger seat, while coming off a roundabout on the A5 a nice man in a white van flashed me to warn me about a mobile camera. I then had to explain to the Italian why he did it :D
 
Yep, always flash with thumbs down if possible. Usually find i get warned myself too if there is a van in an unusual place.
 
Few days ago on my way to work I watched a guy in 1 litre Pug few cars in front of me drive with clearly punctured tyre, at least 6 cars behind him overtook him at that stretch of the road, the speed was picking up as we were leaving town, I could see side walls now being slowly torn off the wheel. I chased up to him, flashed him few times and gesticulated for him to stop on the side of the road. Young chap inside, stopped the car, I showed him the puncture in rear wheel. He said he felt something was different in the way car behaved but he didn't know what to do except to keep driving and stop at next fuel station (oh dear). The biggest shocker though, was the fact that he had driven that car for at least two miles in town traffic, I could clearly see his flat tyre even when I was hundred yards behind him and yet not a single banghole would flash or show him something was wrong. What is this world coming to.
 
I experienced the flashing when I used to live in Edinburgh, driving from Joppa to Leith with the family entow I was on a dual carriageway when I noticed a guy coming the other way flashing his headlights like there was no tomorrow. This was quite a few years ago no and I'd never heard or seen this before so thought WTF but with the wife being with me she instantly asks me to slow down as there must be something wrong with the car which I do. Come round a blind left bend and there they are a gaggle of little pig-lallions with nothing better to do on a Sunday afternoon.

So from then on I always flash people if I see a mobile-money-trap.
 
paradigm said:
I will flash oncoming drivers assuming I am not in a tail of traffic.

The people I tend to get the most "warning" from is truckers actually. I'll always remember the one who saved me about 2 years ago.
Click to expand...

Don't forget, you could always clip an oncoming car just enough to slow it down if you haven't got time to signal.
 
Last edited:
I only started warning oncoming drivers once I knew of the "flash lights and thumb down" signal. I get the occasional thumbs up back which makes me feel good about myself :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom