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!

Thanks Mumble

Btw - how do you know that?!

Maisiethemorningsidecat Lorry drivers need to keep a constant speed if possible. Up and down gears loses time and fuel...they are letting you know that if you pull in then they can continue at their current speed and won't have to brake.

Broken Laptop not letting me go into Tachograph detail

soup well that would explain it then!!

my mum used to tell me years back that it reflected the glare back towards the driver behind.

tooearly: are you sure they were thanking you and not trying to alert you to the fact YOU had your hi-beam on?

I was driving home though the village lanes tonight and was dazzled by an oncoming car on a tight part of the road, the car was happily driving at normal speed but I couldn't see anything and couldn't judge the passing space so I flashed my full beam.
The car slowed right down so that we could pass each other safely (result) but only because I had probably just dazzled the driver right back.

Check your lights OP, I agree with tooearly

I am confused by the anti glare mirror thingy. On mine it has little 'thing' at the bottom but when you move it the whole mirror adjust so i can't see out of the back. What am I doing wrong? There's no way I could faff around doing that while driving

wow, this thread has taken off in a way th OP didn't plan, I don't think.

The switch thing - it doesn't reflect back the light to the 'glaring driver'. To do that you need to move the angle of your rear view mirror - takes 2 secs and gives him/her a taste of what you are experiencing. Soup's non-glare thing is entirely different.

lorries flashing - they do that on whim. They are v. bored and will flash any and everything. Don't be put off by it, generally.

I know Pan, I was half expecting a flaming!

Kitty, Im sure that my lights are fine, and that they are saying thank you.

Hmm, I don't know then- I agree with your OP generally because I don't flash lights in the dark usually as I know how dazzling it can be.

I think you have caught me on a bad night after I dazzled someone on purpose on the lanes tonight :o

Also as a cyclist I often flick my halogen light to full beam as a warning to drivers. It makes sod all difference. (just adding the bikists perspective...)

My car has got auto xenon headlights, wtf they are, am people are always flashing me to tell me I have full beam on when, in fact, I havent. They come on and off automatically and all I can do is toggle dipped or full beam. Why have manufacturers made them so bright!

How do you thanks people when you are in front of them - say when they let you pull in from a side road in front of them? I sometimes turn hazzards on and off but i have no idea if that works. I sometimes see people flashing some other back lights - how does that work?

valium have you tried it at night? During day it will prob just show you your own back seat/children as PP mentioned but at night you get a secondary reflection or something so it isn't as blinding (still get side mirror glare though it's true).

There must be something on t'internet about this.

Not sure if this is any clearer ... Aha!

But yes, the whole mirror should move :)

dita - i got as far as the second sentence....zzzzzzzzzz.

Dita no I tried it in the day, on my drive and then again when I was out. Will try it at night, thanks.

"The switch thing - it doesn't reflect back the light to the 'glaring driver'. To do that you need to move the angle of your rear view mirror - takes 2 secs and gives him/her a taste of what you are experiencing. "

Or, instead of behaving like a complete idiot, you could simply use the anti glare thing. Which is what it is there for

Valium, it does only work at night because the inside of your car is darker than outside. You see a rather ghostly reflection of what is behind you in the glass that you didn't know was is in front of the actual mirror. It is rather clever and i am embarrassed that I only twigged after driving for a good 15 years

Flashing lights is such a quick thing I can't say another car flashing to say think you have ever caused me an issue. 9 times out of 10 you are stopped anyway!

Now not turning high beam off when driving towards another car or behind them is another issue!

Befuzzled switch your hazards on for 2 secs or flick your indicators left and right.

in the night time it is just better to say aloud thankyou to whoever has stopped, slowed down for you.
just assume they have said the same, noone flash or dazzle, and we all go on our merry way.

in daylight, we do alot of lifting of the hand and thumbs up down ere in Devon. So many little lanes. It's nice actually.