To Flash or not to Flash?

[Mr_Mark1]

On another site that I frequent, this subject has become a LONG topic with lots of opinions. I tried searching here but nothing came up.

I will flash my bright lights for a trucker or another RV to let them know that it is OK for them to move over. I've had truckers do it for me many times. I don't drive at night so maybe flashing brights would not work well (blinding), turning your headlights off for a second is probably appropriate.

(daytime driving) Some of the 'driver's' say it's a faux-pas to flash the brights. I would agree but I see truckers do it all the time for each other.

When a truck has just past me, I can see the driver in his side mirror. The moment he turns his head, that's when I will flash my brights for him to move over. About half the time, I will get the courtesy lights and the other half not. :R

What do you do? :@

Safe travels,
MM. 😄

[bartlettj]

What's so hard about just knowing how long your rig is and not needing to rely on other people to tell you where your rear end is? I'm not going to flash you when you pass me... and if you cut me off I'll honk at you.

[allen8106]

downtheroad wrote:
I flash...and most often the trucker flashes me back with his tail and running lights....

Same here.

[lfcjasp]

We flash, maintain some distance and (in the motorhome) don't drive nearly as fast as in a truck or car. As long as the other drivers stay away from us (don't cut us off or try to occupy the space we're in or tailgate) we don't really pay attention if they thank us or not.

[Blazing_Zippers]

One commenter on here stated that the "new" crop of "drivers" have trouble reading English. TRUE statement! They don't come equipped with the common courtesy shown in past years.
Another wrote that insurance companies don't encourage the use of "flashing" due to implications if involved with a traffic incident. True statement.
After 55 years of driving everything from semis, busses, fire engines, ambulances, and cop cars, not everyone is going to act as you might want them to. Use your best judgment in the situation.
Personally, I flash drivers over, maintain a large following distance, and if the need arises--stop to help a fellow RVer in distress.

[wa8yxm]

I had one actually cut me off today. Ok I was nice. but then I passed him so.. All fair (I did not cut in sharply) NOw the fun part was that there was a car following that truck almost as close as the car that was following my motorhome.. Only the car following my motorhome is my towed. Attached to the RV by nice strong Blue Oxen. I hate to think what would have happened if that trucker had suddenly hit the brakes.

[NRALIFR]

I find that I usually want them to get farther away from me then they do before pulling into my lane. I don’t want them changing lanes so close to me that there isn’t enough room to stop in an emergency. But like I said, they tend to do it anyway. So they can do it without a flash. Pretty much the only time I’ll flash them is if I’m forced to brake in order to let them in. Sometimes traffic conditions make that necessary.

:):)

[Dutch_12078]

Some OTR fleet operators instruct their drivers not to flash other trucks or anyone else back over at the recommendation of their insurance carrier. Apparently the insurance folks feel there's potential liability issues.

[Cloud_Dancer]

fj12ryder wrote:

Cloud Dancer wrote:
...
SO, what I do, as soon as they start moving back into my lane, is to quickly move into the lane they just vacated. I feel safer when I can look way down the road, and WITHOUT all that buffeting.

Sounds like a recipe for disaster at some point. What do you do when the lane they just came from has traffic, or you don't see the traffic and start to move over? Safest bet is to just stay put. I too feel more comfortable if I can see down the road, but switching lanes frequently is not such a good idea.

*
Thanks for the implication,.....that I change lanes helter-skelter. I trust no one to look out for me. I've got my eye on all traffic that I stand a chance of crashing. Positional awareness is something I take a lot of pride in having.

[Horizon170]

It is seldom that big trucks pass me. Sometimes I find a big truck going at my speed and follow him (Not drafting) at a reasonable distance. Cars and pickups lane change a lot but don't get between me and the truck I'm following.
Marvin

[fj12ryder]

Cloud Dancer wrote:
...
SO, what I do, as soon as they start moving back into my lane, is to quickly move into the lane they just vacated. I feel safer when I can look way down the road, and WITHOUT all that buffeting.

Sounds like a recipe for disaster at some point. What do you do when the lane they just came from has traffic, or you don't see the traffic and start to move over? Safest bet is to just stay put. I too feel more comfortable if I can see down the road, but switching lanes frequently is not such a good idea.

[Cloud_Dancer]

I would love to see truckers WAIT for my signal for them to move back into my lane after they pass me. But they NEVER do. They all seem to have a great urgency to block my view while I get treated to their wake turbulence. IN MY FACE!
SO, what I do, as soon as they start moving back into my lane, is to quickly move into the lane they just vacated. I feel safer when I can look way down the road, and WITHOUT all that buffeting.

[D_E_Bishop]

My rig has DRLs so during the day flashing is easiest for me. I too look for the trucker to look in his rearview mirror. those guys are the most likely to thank you with a flash back. Walmart truckers are pretty courteous on the whole.

Sometimes you're stuck in a caravan passing and they almost always flash back.

I now have an empty switch bay in the dash and I may put to DOT and side clearance on a switch in that bay so I can do Off/On at night.

[fj12ryder]

I never flash high beams. I will turn my lights on and off a couple times to signal it's safe to change lanes, or to thank someone for signaling me to do the same.

The high beam flash is a signal to oncoming traffic that there is trouble ahead, usually a LEO running radar. Been that way since I've been driving, over 50 years.

[Desert_Captain]

I usually flash them that it is clear to move over. Always look and see what/who might be pushing them impatiently trying to pass the truck as this will be when they will most likely be looking to move over earlier.

This is where you do the trucker and yourself a huge favor by giving them clearance at the first safe opportunity. As mentioned watch their mirrors and when they look over, usually just prior to activating their turn signal, this is the time to flash.

If there is no one close on the trucks rear end they can usually find their way back over safely whether you flash or not but it is still a nice, courteous thing to do.

:C

[gbopp]

I'm a flasher. 🙂