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Old 05-30-2021, 01:31 PM   #1
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Courtesy flashing of headlights

With all of the road rage I have seen on the highways, I try to be one of the good guys. I like to let others, both truckers and other RVers know when it is clear to pull in front of me after being passed, and would like to thank those that do the same for me when I have passed them. My new to me Journey, on a Freightliner Chassis, provides no easy way to do this however. The only way I have found to flash the headlights is to have the head lights on and turn the brights on and off twice, which is kind of a pain. I see that there was an option to have a flash button on the steering wheel but that option was not utilized in my chassis.



Does anyone know of a way to extend this courtesy to others on the highway, maybe I am just missing something.
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Old 06-03-2021, 06:00 PM   #2
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Crickets LOL
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Old 06-03-2021, 09:20 PM   #3
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I have noticed and practiced turning on the hazards for a couple of cycles
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Old 06-03-2021, 10:15 PM   #4
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Sorry, but on my Adventurer I just pull the left side stalk.

I assumed others pretty much worked the same.

I try to do it all the time and would guess I remember to do so, 85 - 90% of the time. On some roads, since I drive ~63 mph, I’m flashing every other vehicle.

I would estimate that I get a thanks ~40% of the time.

I’m on a 4,100 mile trip right now, and I actually have had two semi’s flash me a “Thanks” even though they were not merging back into my lane but staying left to keep passing other vehicles.
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Old 06-03-2021, 11:07 PM   #5
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A year or so ago I commented on another post on this very subject that I was taught by my dad to to use the dimmer switch to signal passing drivers just as you do. My experience over my 55 years of driving almost exactly matches that of CreativeSport, including the "thank you" flash from at least half of the passing truckers.

That said, I was chastised by several other posters who said such a practice can temporarily blind truckers and thus they considered practice annoying, dangerous, or somewhere in between.

If we had some high-powered headlights or auxillary lighting with thousands or millions of candlepower, I would give their objection serious consideration. But since I've seen thousands of other drivers use the high/low method for many years, I suspect the objectors may exaggerating the issue.
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Old 06-04-2021, 12:04 PM   #6
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I have noticed over the past several years that the amount of thank you flashes from passing truckers has diminished. I once heard that it was because of insurance reasons. Some ID 10 T's would flash soon and the trucker did not have enough clearance to pull in. If an accident was cause the "flasher" would sue the company.

It would be nice to hear from an OTR trucker.
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Old 06-06-2021, 06:13 PM   #7
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Since my first cross country motorcycle trip in 1972, I do a quick bright flash to pass, quick off then on to indicate sufficient distance to a passing vehicle. I remember the previous post on this subject last year, it appears most younger generation drivers were not taught courtesy. I added very bright LED low mounted driving lights to my motor home , even daytime I flash sufficient distance for passing vehicles. Probably 20 % offer reply. At night even though the beam is a precise low level projection not obstructive to vehicle mirrors it serves to delay prematurely being cutoff without being rude.
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Old 06-06-2021, 06:25 PM   #8
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I wait until I see their turn signal indicate they want back into the lane. When they’re clear of me, I flash the high beam from the left standard. Yep, my dad taught me that as well.
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Old 06-06-2021, 06:53 PM   #9
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I would use my flashlight. Stick it out the window and flash it as many times as you like. I would think it would be effective. Personally I don’t come back to the lane I left after passing until I’m well clear. When you flash your lights to let someone know they are clear is that the message you’re sending ? I think some people would take it just the opposite and think you were unhappy with them cutting back in. I have thought of making up some signs that you could flash to other drivers. All clear. Nice job of passing. Can you get off my tail? Did you get your license from a Cracker Jacks box? Could you please stay in your lane ? Nice job but maybe you need more practice at a bumper car park. Stay off your phone. Turn down your radio, my molars are rattling. You get the idea. Might give others a chance to laugh?
Stay safe out there!
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Old 06-06-2021, 07:22 PM   #10
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Originally Posted by 09 harley View Post
I would use my flashlight. Stick it out the window and flash it as many times as you like. I would think it would be effective. Personally I don’t come back to the lane I left after passing until I’m well clear. When you flash your lights to let someone know they are clear is that the message you’re sending ? I think some people would take it just the opposite and think you were unhappy with them cutting back in. I have thought of making up some signs that you could flash to other drivers. All clear. Nice job of passing. Can you get off my tail? Did you get your license from a Cracker Jacks box? Could you please stay in your lane ? Nice job but maybe you need more practice at a bumper car park. Stay off your phone. Turn down your radio, my molars are rattling. You get the idea. Might give others a chance to laugh?
Stay safe out there!
No. The flash is a tradition among truckers going back at least 75 years. A flashlight has no such tradition, except maybe as a "Help! I'm in trouble! Call 911!"
Probably not a good idea.
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Old 06-06-2021, 09:00 PM   #11
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Flashing lights

Only a minority of truckers seem to acknowledge flashing your headlights as a sign that it’s safe to move back over. I suspect that as the trucking workforce gets younger they are either unaware of this or just plain indifferent. Common courtesy isn’t so common anymore….
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Old 06-06-2021, 10:40 PM   #12
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No. The flash is a tradition among truckers going back at least 75 years. A flashlight has no such tradition, except maybe as a "Help! I'm in trouble! Call 911!"
Probably not a good idea.
It’s a JOKE. According to the national highway transportation authority this is an outdated practice that went out with the Zoot Suit. I think Groucho Marx was a big light flasher.
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Old 06-07-2021, 12:39 AM   #13
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It’s a JOKE. According to the national highway transportation authority this is an outdated practice that went out with the Zoot Suit. I think Groucho Marx was a big light flasher.
Ok, thank you for your opinion. Are we done here everyone. (That’s a rhetorical question).
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Old 06-07-2021, 04:53 AM   #14
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Originally Posted by Pioneer View Post
I have noticed and practiced turning on the hazards for a couple of cycles
Using your hazards would be to thank the vehicle behind you after you have passed them and they have flashed their headlights to let you know it is safe to come back into your lane.

Old time trucker
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Old 06-07-2021, 04:56 AM   #15
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Originally Posted by akeagle View Post
A year or so ago I commented on another post on this very subject that I was taught by my dad to to use the dimmer switch to signal passing drivers just as you do. My experience over my 55 years of driving almost exactly matches that of CreativeSport, including the "thank you" flash from at least half of the passing truckers.

That said, I was chastised by several other posters who said such a practice can temporarily blind truckers and thus they considered practice annoying, dangerous, or somewhere in between.

If we had some high-powered headlights or auxillary lighting with thousands or millions of candlepower, I would give their objection serious consideration. But since I've seen thousands of other drivers use the high/low method for many years, I suspect the objectors may exaggerating the issue.
Flashing with your high/low beams is standard practice.

Old time trucker
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Old 06-07-2021, 05:05 AM   #16
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Originally Posted by Wayne M View Post
I have noticed over the past several years that the amount of thank you flashes from passing truckers has diminished. I once heard that it was because of insurance reasons. Some ID 10 T's would flash soon and the trucker did not have enough clearance to pull in. If an accident was cause the "flasher" would sue the company.

It would be nice to hear from an OTR trucker.
Twenty five years of trucking and I never heard of that. Diminished flashing, I believe, is due to lack of courtesy more than anything.

However waving someone to go ahead, go first, enter an intersection, make a turn in front of you etc has ended badly with law suits involved. Let them make the decision to proceed safely.


Old time trucker and Safety coordinator,
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Old 06-07-2021, 05:08 AM   #17
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Originally Posted by 09 harley View Post
I would use my flashlight. Stick it out the window and flash it as many times as you like. I would think it would be effective. Personally I don’t come back to the lane I left after passing until I’m well clear. When you flash your lights to let someone know they are clear is that the message you’re sending ? I think some people would take it just the opposite and think you were unhappy with them cutting back in. I have thought of making up some signs that you could flash to other drivers. All clear. Nice job of passing. Can you get off my tail? Did you get your license from a Cracker Jacks box? Could you please stay in your lane ? Nice job but maybe you need more practice at a bumper car park. Stay off your phone. Turn down your radio, my molars are rattling. You get the idea. Might give others a chance to laugh?
Stay safe out there!
Is this a serious reply??
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Old 06-07-2021, 06:41 AM   #18
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Truckers do appreciate the flash, the older ones anyway. I don’t think they teach courtesy in trucker school any more. The younger drivers think they are in a sports car zigzagging through traffic.
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Old 06-07-2021, 07:56 AM   #19
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Setting at the truck table, I found a wide variety of thinking and the one that caught my attention was the folks who considered flashing your lights to be a way of telling them how to drive!!
Those two whippers were irate that anybody had the gall to suggest they should get out of the way of folks behind them! Their opinion ran along the lines that the driving public should bow down to them as THEY were what kept things running and the public should get out of their way.

The longer I used that stop and set at that table, the less respect I gave that sort of guy calling himself a truck driver. It was near a pipeline terminal and many of the drivers hauled fuel and were glad to talk about how much they loved scaring folks!

Common sense is often replaced by nonsense, it seems!
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Old 06-07-2021, 10:11 AM   #20
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Is this a serious reply??
Of course it’s a serious reply. This post is just another example of personal opinion. The original poster thinks that their method is correct and others see it differently. This forum should be a place to share news and ideas and ask for help. My personal opinion about this type of topic is that as soon as others don’t agree then the conversation gets heated because the non believers are presumed to be stupid. A good example is, my Ford truck is better than your Ram. No win for either side and a disservice to readers. It’s fine to have a personal opinion but try to remember why it’s called a personal opinion. And try to laugh.
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