'Flashing in' after being overtaken

[PaulRT]

When driving a longer vehicle such as a car and caravan combination or a truck, it is always very helpful if a vehicle you have just overtaken flashes its headlights as soon as it is safe to pull back in. I generally find that about 30% of trucks do this after I have overtaken them towing my caravan. Why then is it that so few caravannners do this to assist others when they are being overtaken? On Sunday morning I towed south down the A1 from Yorkshire to Hertfordshire (at a steady 60mph). Of the 11 caravans I overtook, only one flashed me in after I had passed.
Cheers
Paul

 

[Steve L]

Hi Paul.
In a nut shell mate, there are too many people these days full of their own self importance to consider anyone else's situation.

When I started caravanning nearly 30 years ago every lorry driver and about 60% of coaches would flash you to give you the thumbs up to pull back to the nearside lane. Today there are plenty of people ready to jesticulate that it's the second time you've done that today.

Reminds me of the Lee Evans sketch. Lee driving down the road has a driver cut him up, so at the next traffic lights Lee jumps out to give the driver a piece of his mind. When he gets to the car window he finds a 6ft 6" rugger player driving. So not wanting to loose face, this is what he said. The way you went round that roundabout not once (hand jesture) but twice (holding 2 fingers up) and the way you threw that *** out the window (clenched hand waving up and down) was bloody marvelous. On returning to his car he said to his wife who hadn't heard the speech, "that taught him a lesson.

Don't worry though paul, I flash drivers to give the ok to pull in. Oh and I flash others to warn of speed traps (illegal but only if your caught) because too often I've seen very close calls when a speeding car jabs the anchors on trying to scrub speed off, not realising there's a motor cycle up their arse.
Now before I get pounced upon by the usual suspects, I do not condone speeding at all, but also I don't approve of the some times sneaky tactics used by speed camera vans and plain police cars where they have been known to edge people into sticking their foot down. One incident I saw was, a chap in a scooby being followed by a skoda octavia RS who flicked his lights at the scooby as if to say "I want to pass" and then "concidentally" a motorcycle cop was round the corner waiting with his hair drier in his hand. The Skoda stopped behind the scooby and a uniformed policeman got out of the rear seat, and he wasn't the chief super being chauffered.

 

[ProfAlGoogle]

Swings and roundabouts, I have lost count of the amount of times I have "Flashed my headlights" to both LGVs and fellow caravaner's, only to be totally ignored, then the other annoying bit is when a LGV has been flashed in, we then have the disco light reply, two flashes on the nearside, two flashes on the offside as there thank you, or on come there hazards, then the reaction of some other drivers who are not familiar with these actions is to apply there brakes believing that this 44ton monster is about to pull out in front of them, in my day two flashes on the rear tail lights was a sufficient "Thank You"

 

[GeorgeandAde]

I always flash LGVs and Caravans when its safe to do so.
Maybe some people stick to the highway code which states a flashing of the headlights means,"I am here".

 

[PhilFraeHowMill]

`Flashing in`, originates from the days when all trucks were roped and sheeted, it wasn`t strictly to let you know when you were passed the vehicle you were passing (thats what mirrors are for), it was a signal to show all was well with your load and said sheets, ropes etc. It has obviously evolved into what we have today.

 

[RegandPat]

I don't mined a bit of flashing can be very helpful but this thanking drivers for waiting to let you past a parked car, I only wave if the driver is blond, 18, Swedish or if Pat is sitting in the passenger seat.
Reg

 

[Steve L]

The only trucks I find annoying are the tarmac tippers working out of Kington on the A44 wales border. When they flash their lights at you you get 6 rally car lamps on the cab roof plus another 4 on the bull bar, oh and then the standard 4 main beam truck lights. Looks like a UFO is about to land behind you, that is if you haven't already got arc eye from the flash.

Joking apart though, it is nice to see some people removing the crick in their neck and saying thank you for a change.

 

[extrucker1]

also

 

[ProfAlGoogle]

Cab roof lights are for off road use only, and are illegal to use on a public highway. Tipper drivers..................................IMHO some of the worst drivers on the public highways, surprised they have got time to "flash there lights" as they are normally to busy nailing it to get there next load

 

[Gafferbill]

……..actually the law says you can have as many lights as you like as long as the extra ones go out when the main beam lights are dipped.

I drove a truck for 30years and my 'signature signal of thanks' to a vehicle behind me, was 3 nearside indicator flashes followed by a pause and then one more nearside flash.
…. If you see this signal from a caravan then odds on it will be me!

 

[extrucker1]

flashing lights started years ago. lorry mirrors were the size of half crowns and shook all over the place. if it was dark and raining, you had no chance of seeing what was going on behind you. when reversing, you had to rev a bit to keep mirrors still. ray

 

[ProfAlGoogle]

……..actually the law says you can have as many lights as you like as long as the extra ones go out when the main beam lights are dipped.

I drove a truck for 30years and my 'signature signal of thanks' to a vehicle behind me, was 3 nearside indicator flashes followed by a pause and then one more nearside flash.
…. If you see this signal from a caravan then odds on it will be me!

Thanks Gaffer I stand corrected, feel sure at one time there was a law prohibiting use over a certain height, my signature was to always use the rear tail lights two flashes, from the old school.

 

[kopite]

As a truck driver myself i always flash in trucks and fellow vanners and dont allways get a thank you but as long as they got in safe thats all that matters.happy vanning everyone

 

[602]

Hi,
You should not pull in, after passing another vehicle, until you are at least two seconds in front of him. At 60mph, that is 176ft .... plus the length of your outfit. And even then, you should not pull in unless there is a similar distance between you and the vehicle in front.
So, if its alright with you, I will continue to hog the middle lane. ;-)
602

 

[ProfJohnL]

I know I will be shouted down for this but there is no protocol in the highway code that says that the flashing of headlights has any meaning other than to warn other drivers of your presence!

The traditoin of flashing to let a long vehielce know when they have passed is just that; a tradition, and if any mototing case relied on the testomony that someone flashed anyone else to give clearance to start or complete a manoeuvre is likely to fall apart.

 

[Gafferbill]

.......is there a lot of 602's or do you have the ability to drive more than one vehicle at once! ........

 

[602]

Hi Gaffer,

I endeavor to drive three vehicles........ the one I'm sitting in, the one in front (anticipating what he is going to do .... and offering words of advice) and the one behind (trying to make life easy for him ..... until such time as I want a new car).

602

 

[602]

Hi,

Nobody has corrected my math, or criticised my interpretation of the 2-second rule. Does that mean that I am right on both counts?
What are the rules on roads with chevrons? You are keeping the correct indicated distance from the vehicle in front, and somebody pulls in front of you. Should you slam the brakes on? Has the driver who pulled in done anything wrong?

602

 

[Steve L]

To clear a couple of misconceptions.
Flashing of lights has always been deemed in the highway code as a means other than sounding a horn to warn others of your presence. Predominately these days it is easier to flash ones lights as the indicator stalk remains at 9 or 3 O clock near to the desired driving grip. Where as, the horn buttons are on the steering wheel and not easily operated when one is perhaps swerving to avoid the idiot who pull's out in front of you.

The comment "only a fool breaks the 2 second rule", refers to the distance that the driver following a vehicle should allow for a thinking and reaction distance and partial braking zone. If someone is being overtaken, they are asked (in the highway code) to maintain steady speed or to slow a little to allow a timely execution of the manouver by the overtaker. It's plonkers who hold out in the middle lanes of the motorway trying to get 300Mtrs between them and the vehicle that they have past who hold up or hog progress. You can just as easily keep momentum in the nearside lane and still be pulling away from the vehicle you have just overtaken, thus gaining your distance and allowing progress for the other 50 cars you would of held up by hogging the middle lane.

By a driver flashing a caravan or lorry to signal it's ok to pull back in does just that, and also is letting you know that the vehicle now behind you accept's the position and will adjust his/her speed accordingly to gain space should you slow down after the overtaking manouver, which happens quite often these days.

It's a great pitty that people don't think about and consider others and most of all, set out on their journey allowing plenty of time rather than having to rush and take risk's. The A5 yesterday was a great example of that and the old adage of the hare & tortoise. Cars would hair past me (travelling at 60mph) and then just a mile or so I would catch up with said car, now ducking and weaving to get that extra 20ft further up the road. But who got from A to B relaxed? Definately not the hare!!!!!!!

I try to enjoy driving rather than see it as a free track day or a challenge.

 

[Steve L]

Oh BTW. I got 56Mpg out of my Rover 75 diesel, I wager Mr Hare didn't !!!???

 

[ProfAlGoogle]

Oh BTW. I got mpg out of my Rover 75 diesel, I wager Mr Hare didn't !!!???

Quite agree with a lot you have said there Steve, but if that is the case, why do you find it necessary to speed on motorways? And what formula did you use to calculate the MPG from your Rover, as that is a very impressive return, please don`t tell me it was the on board computer as these are notoriously inaccurate.

 

[602]

Hi Steve,

I think we agree that the 2-second rule is often impractical in real life situations. But I detest the overtaker who gets close to removing your front bumper as he pulls in front of you, particularly on the occasions when he suddenly finds he needs to stamp on his brakes, because the car in front is slowing down. Almost as bad, are the drivers who pull out in front of you leaving about a 10ft gap.

602

 

[Steve L]

Oh BTW. I got mpg out of my Rover 75 diesel, I wager Mr Hare didn't !!!???

Quite agree with a lot you have said there Steve, but if that is the case, why do you find it necessary to speed on motorways? And what formula did you use to calculate the MPG from your Rover, as that is a very impressive return, please don`t tell me it was the on board computer as these are notoriously inaccurate.

I don't know what you're point is about motorways cookies. The road I was on was the A5 not the M5. But these days on the motorways, I have noticed just how many drivers are slowing down and driving nearer the limit of 70Mph.
I use the car's computer to act as visual guide while driving which is quite safe to do as the display is in the same binicle as the speedo. I also do full tank to full tank checks on my car. Coincidentally, the difference between the computer and the fill up method has on many occassions been within +/- 1mpg with the computer reading the lower estimation. So at the moment I do trust the display.

 

[ProfAlGoogle]

Oh BTW. I got mpg out of my Rover 75 diesel, I wager Mr Hare didn't !!!???

Quite agree with a lot you have said there Steve, but if that is the case, why do you find it necessary to speed on motorways? And what formula did you use to calculate the MPG from your Rover, as that is a very impressive return, please don`t tell me it was the on board computer as these are notoriously inaccurate.

I don't know what you're point is about motorways cookies. The road I was on was the A5 not the M5. But these days on the motorways, I have noticed just how many drivers are slowing down and driving nearer the limit of 70Mph.
I use the car's computer to act as visual guide while driving which is quite safe to do as the display is in the same binicle as the speed. I also do full tank to full tank checks on my car. Coincidentally, the difference between the computer and the fill up method has on many occasions been within +/- 1mpg with the computer reading the lower estimation. So at the moment I do trust the display.

"I don't know what you're point is about motorways cookies. The road I was on was the A5 not the M5"
I was referring to your visit to the east midlands, where by your own admission you had been travelling at well over 100mph on a Saturday afternoon on the M1.

"within +/- 1mpg with the computer reading the lower estimation"
I have owned cars for the past twenty years with on board computers and all of them have suggested that I am getting far better miles per gallon than is acutely the case when I have re fuelled the car to full, on a tank to tank basis, in my opinion they are only there as a rough guide, and would doubt very much that they would be as accurate as to +/- 1mpg on say a 60/70 ltr fuel tank, or perhaps it is down to my brand of car, Volvo? Any one Else's trip computer that accurate?

 

[JonnyG]

Trip computers will vary in accurancy even down to what tyre size and indeed make you are using,but if they are within 2 mpg of what you are getting from a proper top up,then surely thats accurate enough and given that even a top up check is not accurate given the mile ometer will also be inaccurate.
But using both these inaccurate formula's I have also had the trip computer under read on my mondeo ! on one occasion showing 53mpg when a fill up made it a shade over 56.mpg!