AIBU to flash my hazards for "thank you" or is it actually rude 😬

I love all the flashing lights and waves language of car driving. Makes me feel like a proper grown up.

.
Flashing headlights could mean, go ahead, thank you, I m about to to overtake. or there's a speed trap ahead,, on the motorwayi it could be a signal to an overtaking wagonj that it is clear of you and ca pull in or you could flash your ihazards for that

Ask yourself this. If you're flashed to pull across traffics and don't see a cyclist or motorcycle do you think the flashing driver will say "yes, I let them go"? Do you imagine your insurance will uphold any claim? Do you think if someone flashes you out and changes their mind and t-bones you is going to say "yeah my fault"?

The only person that should decide if you go is you.

All this "polite" light flashing gets on my last nerve. And that's nothing compared to the persistent flashing of drivers whose "polite" advice you've declined.

Hazards (or an L R L R indicator) are definitely used as a thanks where I am, for pulling in to let another vehicle to overtake on single tracks or laybys, or if you let another vehicle out traffic. But if you pull in on a passing place to let someone pass the other way you'd say thanks by raising your hand. I wouldn't use it on motorways or duel carriage ways.

flashing hazards to say thank you to the car behind us quite standard here in Kent. If people are cross with you then I assume it is because they felt they didn’t want to let you in but you squeezed yourself in and then had the nerve to ‘thank’ them…

"You shouldn't be flashing your headlights to anyone at any time apart from, as a PP has said, to say "I am here". I cannot think of any situation where that would apply as a meaningful stand alone action."

I flash my headlights to warn oncoming vehicles of a hazard eg broken down vehicle on their side of the road round a bend

This stuff is a nightmare. I've only just got into the groove of remembering to bring biscuits every time I go on a playdate for the children

Agree on hazards being normal for thanks, but what’s the deal with bringing biscuits on playdates?! Is that a thing?

I drive a small MH as my daily vehicle.
Flash my headlights to tell lorries or cars they can pull back in in front of me.
Lorries 99% of them time show me their hazards to say thank you.
Cars never do.
I always use hazards to thank ( what I think of as) lovely road manners - usually lorries letting me know it's safe to pull back over.

Round here, (not London but SE) it's fairly standard to use the hazards to thank a car behind.
Up round my parents in Lancashire they don't use it at all.

@TheSilkWorm · Today 16:56

I know it's the convention but I absolutely hate it. I don't need to be half blinded by your lights, I'll assume you are thanking me with a wave I can't see in the dark.

Your post makes no sense. Someone putting their hazards on for 2-3 seconds to thank/acknowledge someone is not 'flashing lights' and there's no way it's 'blinding people.' The 'hazards' are merely the indicators/blinkers.

Do people 'blind you' every time they indicate? If so, then I think you need to surrender your driving licence.

.

Yep, and here. (Midlands!)

That's a bit bonkers tbf.

A single/double flash of hazards is acceptable to thank the vehicle behind if they've let you in to the lane. It's more usual to do a right-left indicator blink though. It most commonly applies in lane 1 of a motorway/dual carriageway. It's more of a trucker/van thing than for car drivers though - we play by trucker rules when out in the motorhome and when you do/don't flash headlights and use the trucker thank you are well understood.

In a car the driver of a car behind should be able to see a simple hand wave.

some roundabouts can be ridiculous with people seeming to let me out when it is their right of way! i sit tight, generally

I’m just outside the M25 and briefly flashing hazards as a thank you, and a flash of headlights to let someone go in front of you (usually joining from a side road) are both definitely a thing. Especially on the school run. I also love car language 😊

The only annoying thing here now though is that a noticeably large number of drivers don’t follow the give way to the right roundabout rules, and just stop instead of going 🤦‍♀️. It’s so bad that friends and relatives visiting us from other areas have mentioned it.

Are you really half blinded by hazard lights? They aren’t normally that bright.

I always give a cheeky little flash of my hazards to thank people. Absolutely fine @Newusernameforthiss

I see people flashing hazards as a thank you quite often, if they're thanking someone behind them.

Normal. The 'Thank you' hazard flash, and the 'You're welcome' headlight flash in return.

Makes you feel like you're winning in life 💪

plenty of cars flash with their hazards, if i let them out

i flash to say thanks

It can mean any of the following:
thank you
please go ahead
there is a speed trap coming up
there is a hazard in the road
there Is something wrong with your car
you need to put your lights on
you need to take your lights off full beam

Agree would never flash at a junction- dangerous and confusing
I put my hand up and mini flash (occasionally )when someone has pulled in for me eg behind parked cars or in giveaway space on narrow rural road with only single line traffic.

Baffled as to the number who've never been thanked by hazards, but then realised this is mainly on motorways. If you don't do much motorway driving and you don't let people in, you might not have experienced this, as it tends to occur with merging lanes etc but it is standard practice amongst most drivers.

I flash to let people go, wave a hand to thank people letting me go and flash hazards if someone lets me in on a motorway, e.g. leaves a gap to let me in when I'm merging lanes.

I'm in the Midlands. Definitely a thing here. And a flash of the other car's lights afterwards is saying "no bother". Car language is definitely a thing😀