Driving- flashing headlights

[Jessie1995]

Are you allowed to flash your headlights at somebody who nearly caused a crash/wasn’t aware you were there clearly??

someone over took me right at the end of a merging lane so they had to go over to other side of the road! I slowed down to let them over as could see in my mirror! I flashed my lights at them once to make them aware I am there!!

is this the right thing to do? Instead of sounding my horn and seeming aggressive?

so many drivers nowadays seem really unaware other people are there it’s very concerning! 🤦🏼‍♀️

Letting someone know you are there is the one of the only legitimate reasons to sound your horn. That's what you should have done.

How frightening. Hope you're OK

If they overtook you then surely they knew you were there? As for crossing to the other side of the road, did they cross a solid white line? Was there oncoming traffic? If neither of those they may well have done nothing wrong.

If they’re that bad a driver I doubt they’ll take any notice of you flashing your lights.
Around here it’s common a to flash your lights to warn of animals in the road, sheep, cattle, a herd of pigs a few weeks ago for some reason.

Surely if they were overtaking you then they clearly knew you were there?

I would have flashed them too though, or used the horn.

Highway Code says you can flash your lights to let another road user know that you're there.

www.highwaycodeuk.co.uk/other-stopping-procedures.html

Note it says you shouldn't flash lights after the fact, or to intimidate other road users.

If they didn't know you were there then how could they overtake you?

You should only flash your lights to make another road user aware of your presence. They are not for intimidating other users or expressing your annoyance.

You would usually use the horn to tell someone you’re there. If you flashed your lights at me I’d think you were trying to notify me of something, like I hadn’t put my lights on or I’d left my cup of coffee on the roof.

If you flashed your lights when they were in front of you abd therefore able to see you it was probably too late and pointless. If they were overtaking they knew you were there, just an ill judged manoeuvre pushing their luck.

They were doing the speed limit behind me in the overtaking lane the whole time then right when it becomes one lane decided to overtake? It was very dangerous! She was very old!! Assume she genuinely didn’t see me!
anyway thought a flash of the lights was less aggressive than a sound of the horn!

The way they did the manoeuvre made me feel like they didn’t even see me haha!! She was behind me for ages in the overtaking lane then right when the lane merges to one deciddd to overtake!? I thought a flash of the lights was less intimidating than a sound of the horn! To basically be like I am here!? She went over the solid white line as I was obviously in the lane so she had to or she’d have crashed into me!

Too much ambiguity with light flashing. Loud horn honk.

she was in the overtaking lane the whole time but behind me, then proceeded to overtake right at the point it becomes one lane. She had to go over the otherside of the road to get around me. I used my lights other than my horn because I felt it was more of a like ‘ I am here!!’ Kind of thing!

No way should she have crossed the white line, sounds like she misjudged it. We’ve all misjudged things whilst driving although most of us would put up a hand in apology.

That’s why it felt like to me she didn’t realise it went to one lane or something! But I had no apology so I flashed my lights once thought be better than a sound of my horn! Less aggressive as such! But thinking back that may come across as more of a ive let her in signal?

oh well haha!

I think that you are supposed to use the horn to make other drivers aware of your presence as recommended by the Highway Code. Flashing headlights is seen as being aggressive. Besides, according to your post he knew that you were there, he was just behaving like a dick

The Highway Code also states to use your lights once to also make drivers aware of my presence. I went with the lights as seems less aggressive!!
she was very old! I don’t think she was being an idiot I think she genuinely had no clue what she was doing!!

Wasn’t sure if a horn is aggressive so went with the lights to basically be like I am here!! The way she went over the side of the road and then cut back infront of me seemed she was very unaware of everything going on!! Maybe a horn is better!

Just felt very dangerous? She was a very old woman who didn’t seem like she knew what was going on!!
she had all that time to overtake but overtook when it became one lane so had to go over the other side of the road to come over. So yes I guess she knew I was there or would have crashed however I’m not sure how ‘aware’ she really was. I thought one flash of a light was less aggressive than a sound of a horn that mist people probably would have done! But yes possibly is pointless afterwards!