To think that flicking your headlights to full beam, to say thank you

[SaggyoldCHRISTMASHUMBUGcatpuss]

to someone, at night, is polite, but not particularly intelligent? Especially if you have 3 million watt halogen lights. This happened to me 3 times tonight, its a wonder that I didnt end up wrapped around a tree!

Are you me?!

I so nearly started this exact AIBU on Friday after driving to MILs down the country lanes around our village. You have to stop and let people squeeze past every minute or so and the lanes are so narrow that you can wave a thank you through the side window and be seen - which is what most people do.

But there were three cars who decided it was better to blind me with their massive full-beam headlights so that I had floaty lights in front of my eyes for the next few minutes.
If I really, really need to acknowledge someone, after a particularly complicated bit of manouevering for example, I flick my lights DOWN not up. Same effect without blinding anyone.

I should add that most of the rat-runners in the lanes don't bother saying thank you during the day so I don't know why they are all overcome with manners in the dark!

I don't flash people to say thanks because I don't like being blinded when they thank me for letting them pass.

I just send them warm fuzzy vibes and trust that they can feel my lurve.

I live in a rural area and at the moment it's dark when I leave and return. This is a constant dilemma. Switching lights down is too diddly because the lights are a knob so I'd have to take hands off wheel.
But enough of that, guess who just got on my train?

Who, Tufty, who????

A clue: da da doo woo woo da sum da dum

Dr Who?

*mumble yes! Dr Who!

What EmmaBemma said. Perhaps the word switch is over-glorifying it, but I've never known a car without one either (and I drive bangers ).

Tufty coolio!

btw, everyone knows it's actually diddly dee dum diddly dee dum diddle de dum DIDDLY DE DIDDLE DE diddle de dum.

then the Wooooooooo ooooo oooooooo.

Oh I do this!

Mumble I know but it was 7 in the morning!

but,kerrymumbles,how do they know which one you meant to do? They are only meant to be flashed as a warning that you are there.

YANBU

YANBU, I live along a narrow country lane with a few passing places. I always do a little beep to thank people if they have pulled in for me/reversed etc as I go past them rather than blind them!

Agree Adverse - brings a warm glow to the cockles

Btw - does anyone know why lorries flash you when you've overtaken them? Not badly overtaken, just the usual indicators on, plenty of room etc. Are they pissed off?

I used to briefly switch mine off. Unfortunately I have no idea how to do that in this car.

Rear view mirror adjustment - not a switch, more of a lever that manually flips it down into a non reflective position and then you can flick it back up. Also useful for looking at small children in the back.

My new car apparently does it automatically when glaring headlights hit a sensor on it.

soup that's one fancypants rear view mirror you have.

I always remember my mum flicking down the mirror. When i have tried it the person behind never seems to notice. Maybe that's because their headlights are so bright they overpower my little mirror. My car is quite small and those big cars could eat me.

Re. the luminous gloves upthread - could be useful for nocturnal two-fingered salute? directed at unthinking glaring headlight type drivers?

Dunno about cars, but this evening someone shouted at me to turn my BIKE light off because it was hurting their eyes! Still, it made a change from my previous lunatic encounter, when a woman started ranting at me about riding without my lights on while said bike was still chained to the railings.

Er... the person behind isn't meant to notice. It's so you can still see behind but without the glare. You see what is behind reflected in glass rather than mirror.

Maisie, the lorry driver is telling you you have room to pull in.