Flashing lights to show speed trap.

I don’t flash people. We do have the speed van periodically in our village - we’ve a 30mph limit but it’s rare for drivers to adhere to it sadly.

It is not an offence to warn other drivers of a speed camera by flashing your lights. A motorist was prosecuted for obstructing a police officer in the execution of his duty for doing this. The case against him was dismissed as the Crown would have to prove the warned driver was actually speeding and the flashing driver actually caused him to slow down. Impossible to show

A speed camera van loves sitting on the main road near to where I live and I used to flash cars before moving here. I don't bother now because I see the speed of some drivers while I'm out walking the dog along it and some deserve to get fined.

I pointed out a mobile speed camera to DH the other day and instantly regretted it. I need him to learn!

Yes Paperbackwriter. If they lost their job it would be because they lost their licence, either because they already had points on it or because they were very seriously over the speed limit and perhaps under the influence too. People have to be given the correct punishment in the hope it will deter them in future and maybe save lives. Not only that, I could get a criminal conviction for warning them and when I was working as a lawyer that would have been the end of my career so no way would I warn of a speed trap even now I’m retired.

Its against the law to flash and warn people of speed cameras,if people are speeding and caught well thats their fault, why should they be warned.Its important to flash to others if there is danger on the road, thats another story.

For a first offence it wouldn't mean losing their job. If they were caught speeding several times then it really is their own fault. If a job requires a clean license then people shouldn't break the law.

Would you rather they continued to speed with impunity, possibly costing somebody their life someday?

Germanshepherdsmum

StoneofDestiny

Flashing gets them to slow down - job done.

No it's not. Job done would be getting a fine/points on their licence/losing their licence and maybe their livelihood. That might make them see sense, someone alerting them never will.

Wow - you'd actually rather someone lost their job than warn them of a speed trap?

Why would't you warn someone if they might need to slow down for a speed trap? Surely that's crime prevention. (Though I did once get pulled over by the police in Richmond park for flashing as a warning. I told them I was flashing at a friend to say hello. They couldn't prove otherwise)

You can be fined for flashing! Also saw in news a woman was flashing madly as someone had collapsed in road and she dazzled the oncoming driver and he ran over the man and killed him. It was proved that he was dazzled.

I am grateful if someone flashes to warn of danger, like accident etc.

I endeavour to keep to the speed limit wherever I am, although I do tend to go over it on motorways.

It never occurs to me to warn oncoming drivers of a speed trap, but I do warn if there is potential danger ahead.

When will people realise that a car is a weapon. It can kill in the wrong hands.
There are too many deaths on the roads due to speeding and anyone who condones this by warning speeders should be fined too if found.
Speeding is dangerous and people should safeguard their own families by not condoning it.?

Anyone remember the AA warning system in the 1940s?
A man in AA uniform would appear on his motorbike coming in the opposite direction
i hope I have got it the right way round but if he saluted a member's car which was displaying the metal AA badge, all was well and there were no policemen lurking anywhere for the next few miles. If he didn't salute, the AA member would slow down immediately

I am also a flasher after being caught doing 34 in a 30 zone.

I only flash in the one specific location where I was caught. There is a hill which flattens out with a change from 40mph to 30mph just at the bottom immediately as it flattens out.

A police van 'hides' by a farmers gate and behind a hedge. They are directly under the 30mph sign. Half of the time you can't see the sign for the hedge.

I have never seen anyone properly speeding there but for the police to sit directly under the speed sign is a bit much.

The police should be spending there time trying to sort out the anti social behaviour that seems to be increasing lately

Never, it's an offence. Just equate it with warning someone you see breaking into a car, house that they better be careful as police round the corner.

Nannashirlz

I warn others why would you not. But I’m not a miserable bug ? lol

Tell that to people who have lost loved ones to speeding drivers.

Do you also think anyone who would stop a drunk person from getting behind the wheel is a miserable bugger?

I flash speeding drivers to slow them down, but there are no speed traps, I just think that they may think there are, and will slow down anyway.

PippaZ

I have always understood oncoming traffic flashing their lights meant a general "slow down". It could be for anything, Calistemon's herd of deer, an accident, flooding, etc.

Obviously the pious on here have a direct route to God and will have already been warned of these things.

Not sure what you point is. People aren't saying you shouldn't flash drivers to warn them of animals on the road or flooding ahead.
They're saying you shouldn't flash speeding drivers to help them avoid being caught by the police.

I’m with Kim19 on this one, I always flash other cars if I see a speed trap.

It can often be them checking on insurance and tax for vehicles, not speed.

My local parish council purchased a hand held speed gun and various upstanding members of the council and community stand on village corners trying to catch unsuspecting drivers. I object wholeheartedly to my parish precept being used in this way. But there’s nothing I can do about it.

Esspee

Must say I haven't seen a speed trap in over 10 years and thought/hoped the police were using their resources to deal with crime.
Traffic generally moves at a safe rate, roughly within 10% of the speed limit.
I do flash people possibly going a little over the limit but anyone really speeding I wouldn't dream of warning them. They are the ones we need to catch.

I am glad to hear you live in such a safe area.

I don't unfortunately.

Speeding and road racing is great fun apparently to the thoughtless, the young who shouldn't have been allowed to past their tests as they don't seem to realise that cars can be dangerous. (Nor all young drivers are in this category, obviously.)

Even experienced drivers are tempted to drive too fast on a quiet country road or race the lights.

I have lost one cat to an idiot who couldn't brake in time due to the speed he was doing. But better a three year old cat than our three year old human neighbour!

Lots of speed traps round here by cops on motorbikes. It is an offence to flash to warn of a speed trap. I used to flash but I don’t any more as people shouldn’t be driving so fast. I became very protective of my license when my disabled son was alive as without me he would have been stuck at home. He always used to shout out a warning at speed cameras in case I was over the limit.

Nannashirlz you wouldn’t because it’s an offence and if caught you would be fined. Didn’t you read that upthread? And those of us who keep within the law by not tipping speeding motorists off are not miserable old b*****s. Speeding motorists need to be caught and punished in the same way as any other criminal. No ‘lol’ (how I hate that) about it.