Speed Trap Flashing..
 

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Do you guys flash your lights to other drivers to warn of speed traps?

do you think other people should?

i always do, unless the peron behind me is being a ****. i do it, because id like the favor returned to me :)

I usually tap the roof for warning.

if the police are trying to keep people driving at safe speeds, and flashing my lights tells people to slow down, then it sounds like I am actually helping the police to achieve their goal.

Yes, and yes.

Just be careful because sometimes state troopers have multiple units roaming in the same area and they will pull you over to chat about your "communication skills".

Happened to me during the dark days of the 55 mph national speed limit. Very dark days.

yep, i agree. saves taxpayer money lol

During the day, yeah. I used to do it at night, too, until I accidentally flashed my high beams at a cop. :rofl2: I felt so stupid, but he never came after me.

I flash for speed traps or even a parked cop car on the shoulder. Specially on the Highway/turnpike.

Absolutely and absolutely.

When approaching a speed trap, drivers that see the trap, have a radar detector or just go along with the crowd will slow down.

When you flash your lights, you are simply warning other drivers about an upcoming traffic condition that may be unsafe and may require them to react.

That's my story, and I'm sticking to it!!! :gtfo2:

One of my joys in life is occurs when I have some bonehead trying to race me or is tailgating me and my radar detector goes off. Watching him/her pass me and sometimes giving me a look or gesture is priceless -- especially when I see them get snagged.

This has happened three times in the last six months alone.

I wonder if other folks understand what you are communicating when flashing lights.

Yup, i always do. But it seems like no one around me does it in return, my radar always picks them up.

It's illegal to signal a speedtrap, but a ticket for doing it would never hold up in court. They'd never be able to prove why you flashed your lights and you can tell them any reason you choose. 'I knew the oncoming driver and was saying hello'. 'I was trying to activate the turn signal and must have pulled the stalk a little.'. 'An oncoming driver had his brights on an I was signalling him to turn them off.'. The possibilities are endless.

I always do. I should flash all the cops I see for they are always speeding also. I quarantee there not on a call either. Oh wait, it maybe a call to the Waffle House.

:icon18: Man I wish we had Waffle House here. They are one of the great joys when I travel to the Southern States.

fun place to go if youre bored and hungry at 3am...some unique individuals

The article I posted seems to say that it is not illegal. It is free speech.

this must be different in different states though. (?)

Or to Krispy Cream Donuts..... :rofl2:

Where I used to live I would warn my neighbors (2 lane road where the local sheriff would always set up a speed trap) because they would always do the same for me.

There is a portion of the road on my way to work where cops like to hang out. If I see a nice car coming the other way sometimes I will flash my lights, but other times I will just let them speed on to their merry way to a ticket. If it's a ricer car I just let them go. Something worth my time like a Z, fellow Mustang, Ferrari, etc, I will warn.

holy sh1t, really? i didnt know that.... fug it im still flashing my lights.

I generally warn people. Hasn't been an issue yet, but I'm glad I read this in case it ever does become an issue.

On rural roads sometimes but in my local area no. When cops are full of income from citations they are happy and nice to the neighborhood. :D

Generally, I would prefer to not lie under oath.

If I warn folks that there's a cop around the bend then there is a better chance of that cop catching less people on the roads I commute on. Statistically, I have to.

:iagree:

:iagree:

Entering a plea on not guilty and not making any statement is not lying under oath.

you guys should ask cwis about his adventures at waffle house at 3 am

Did Cwis make you soar Daisuke

soar like an eagle? nope

i stay pretty grounded.

4 Things i learned from Cwis and Moses and Mike and Eddie and Jeremy

Moses is from Russia
Mike has not seen Jeremy's Tip
Carbon Fiber Flying Carpets
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the article explains it poorly. It's not a free speech issue, they just used the wrong citation. In many states, there is actually a statute they can cite you for (it varies from state to state). In california for instance, it is illegal to flash your lights on a multi-lane highway (regardless of reason). In VA, they will commonly ticket for "failure to dim headlights," which is a bit of a stretch, but it generally holds up in court.

I agree, but that's not what he said.

But you're right. If you go to court having plead not guilty, your attorney (or you if you are acting as attorney pro se) on cross examination will ask the cop to prove that you were flashing to circumvent the law. He won't be able to. You'll ask him, "officer, is it possible that I was flashing because I missed the turn signal, etc etc etc" and he'll say yes. But let's look at the practicalities. When it's time for the defense, (you), to present your case...what are you going to do? Call yourself as a witness? No, you wouldn't want to do that because your choices then are going to be either lying under oath or keeping silent. You can keep silent, but in traffic court (rather informal), I'm pretty sure the judge is going to ask you why you flashed your lights. Your choices now are lying under oath, or pleading the fifth amendment. Not good. If you do that, I suspect that most judges are going to find for the prosecution and tell you they recommend you appeal if you disagree.

Smart move, if you decide to take such a case to court, would be to move for dismissal before presenting your case, asserting that the prosecution didn't prove its case. I'll bet the odds are no better than 50-50 that the judge would go for that.

That's why the laws are rarely written to make it illegal to flash as a warning. To my knowledge, MD was the only state that tried to do that (interfering with a criminal investigation) and they gave up on that in the 90s.

/\ x2, minus the radar detector part (don't have one).

Whether a ticket, if ever written, would hold up in court is really irrelevent. The fact that a trooper could pull you over for a chat is enough to make me careful when/if doing it.

When I was stopped, the trooper was professional, but pissed. The check of my registration took about 20 minutes and scared the sh1t out of a 21 year-old college student that was 600 miles from home.

That was in a 1980 VW Scirocco. I'm sure a 370Z might draw even more ire. Some of you "legal eagles" want to push it, go right ahead.

Just curious, of all the guys giving legal opinions, how many of you guys are attorneys?

you dont have to be a attorney to give any kind of advice. Im sure you've given advice on a various amount of topics all your life.

If someone wants to take other peoples "advice" at 100% fact, thats their damn problem, not the fault of anyone giving their opinion or advice.

I'm not an attorney. Don't take legal advice from me. But I'm just running the scenario here. If you plead not guilty to anything, even a traffic ticket, you have to put up some kind of defense. You can't just sit there and be silent and hope that the prosecutor blows it. The judge is likely to get pissed for wasting his time. Not good when it comes time to levy the fine.

This thread is going interesting places....

I strongly disagree.

Giving you opinion is one thing, commenting like you know what you are really talking about when you aren't qualified to do so is different. Whether someone wants to then take that advice is "their own damn problem".

There are some extremely smart guys on the board, but I'm not going to take advice from them on how to handle an issue in a court room unless they are a qualified attorney. If you really aren't qualified to give advice, one might be better off refraining from doing so.

If someone asks for my advice on a subject that I know about, I'll give it. If I don't know anything about the subject, I'll refer them to my wife since she knows everything. :stirthepot:

Where are these guys when we need them?