Help Save Road Lives – “Flash Your Lights”

A while back I was given cause to ponder why people sped and took unusual risks on the road like overtake on bends, just to advance one car-length or two in the ‘queue.’ If they were going in the same direction as me, I’d regularly see them at the lights only one car ahead. I deduced that it had a lot to do with either a lack of patience or people were not allowing enough journey time, probably more the former.

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Of particular concern to me were motorcyclists who invariably behaved in ways they’d not ordinarily display if they were dealing with people face-to-face. This dilemma about high-risk road behaviour led me to think. The thinking process revealed to me a simple way to modify road user thinking -- getting them to ‘think’ themselves into ‘acting’ more appropriately.

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As a road user approached me who was obviously speeding, overtaking unsafely, or displaying any other dysfunctional road-user behaviour, I would simply flash my lights -- now, this behaviour, in most situations, is probably illegal. In part of my legal studies[1] I learned this: flashing your lights at someone, provided they’re actually speeding or breaking some other law -- so as to warn them of an impending police presence -- is illegal; it’s certainly at odds with the intent of the road traffic codes. In other words, if we’re breaking the law, societal authorities would expect to apply consequences to us.

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This is where my idea of “Flashing Your Lights” I think doesn’t break the intent of the road traffic codes. I flashed on the assumption of no police presence -- a fair assumption with less police on the roads these days -- and I noticed a few behaviours:

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~~ The road user would often wave “thanks”; and/or,

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~~ The road user would also often slow down or modify their approach...

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... Due mainly to a concern of having interaction with the police (given that almost nobody likes this sort of interaction). I would not flash my lights if I knew the police were present as I believe anyone who breaks road laws ought to caught, warned, fined, or prosecuted, or a combination of these.

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Flashing my lights was seen as a courteous way to give and receive feedback and seemed to work. It slowed people down at least part of the time, and when it didn’t work, I was sure they’d be more cautious.

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These are the advantages of Flashing Your Lights:

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1. Gets people to slow down and be more aware of their road behaviour;

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2. In an instant, it destroys the value and worth of flashing lights when there is a police presence ahead -- this idea actually dilutes the effect of the mischievous road user who seeks to warn others to mitigate getting caught;

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3. It demonstrates and engenders concern and promotes more care and respect on the road; and,

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4. It attaches a ‘ROAD DEATH AHEAD’ mentality in the mind.

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I don’t know about you but I think cars look better when they’re not a crumpled mess; and people too look better when they’re alive and able to function in their families, notwithstanding a plethora of other very good reasons.

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If you think this is a good idea and will help bring more order and sense to fellow road users give it a try. It might play some very small part to reduce the number of senseless road deaths.

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Copyright © 2008, S. J. Wickham. All Rights Reserved Worldwide.

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[1] The unit Health and Safety Law 232 at Curtin University of Technology (Western Australia).