Are other drivers trying to tell me something? Am I being really thick?!

[MindYours]

When driving at night if nobody is in front of me or coming the other way I put the full beams on (country lanes) but if there are any cars behind me they nearly ALWAYS flash at me as if I've pissed them off or something. Obviously I turn off the beams straight away...

Full beams don't affect drivers behind do they? Am I missing something here?!

[Eggies]

Check your rear lights maybe they're not working

[SourAndSnippy]

Am I missing something... 🤷🏻‍♀️

Your OP doesn’t make sense to me. What does it matter to the cars behind you if your headlights are on full beam or not. Why would you need to dip them?

I got flashed a lot when I got a new car and it took me a while to realise that it was because it had xenon lights and as they were brand new they were super bright even when they were dipped. 😳 It’s stopped after a little while, I guess because the lights lost some of their newness. Those types of lights are amazing for night vision for the driver b not so good for other drivers 😕.

[EggysMom]

I'll get someone to stand behind the car tomorrow.

Just go out now (whilst it's dark), start the engine, and put lights on. Get out, and walk round the car yourself to see what lights have actually come on. Then switch your full beams on, walk round the car again, and see what's changed. No need to involve another person!

[SourAndSnippy]

NeedAnExpert
Do you drive a modern car with automatic lights? They frequently only put lights on on the front of the car

Are you sure? That sounds unlikely!! 🙀🙀🙀🙀🙀

[NeedAnExpert]

Honestly. They’re called DRLs. Astonishing. Cars (grey, in particular) disappear against grey tarmac and grey skies. Only when you overtake do you see that there are lights on the front but nothing on the back. It’s what happens now with modern “auto” settings.

[coconuttelegraph]

Maybe you don't drive much @SourAndSnippy, every single morning I see many cars with only the automatic front lights on, on the motorway, in the gloom, not visible until you are nearly on top of them. It's so dangerous I don't know why it's allowed

[TrainspottingWelsh]

Are you sure all the country lanes you're on are 40mph? I know some have lower limits, but most are national speed so seems coincidental that all yours are 40mph and people flashed in your last car too.

Ditto checking your back lights. Or do you have dc/ passengers in the back that could be doing anything, eg holding up a brightly lit up screen, lights etc?

[PaquitaVariation]

Yes, my car’s automatic daytime running lights are front only. It doesn’t have full automatic lights though, when it gets dark I need to switch them on manually as usual.

[Jetstream]

I get the same here usually it’s some impatient eejit wanting me to move out of the way. I also drive a small car. The speed limit is 80km for the main roads and 50 km through villages. No-one sticks to the limits. I would say you are driving too slowly for the car behind you.

[BestOption]

FMD I didn’t know that about automatic lights. I’ll definitely check mine tomorrow as I use them in automatic most of the time 😣

[SarahAndQuack]

What are these automatic lights?

My car has lights that come on when you start the engine, but you couldn't mistake them for proper lights because the symbol on the dash never shows.

Please tell me that's not what people are using assuming they are the real thing? They're not even very bright at the front!

[PigletJohn]

You can also check lights in the reflection of shop windows.

It's quite a good habit to always look at all of them (including indicators, fogs, reversing and stop) each time you fill up with petrol.

It doesn't have to be dark.

Lots of people leave their foglights on and don't know.

[Myusername101]

I know you've said twice you are 100%it's not bumps and they are flashing you but I still reckon it's bumps, I spent ages thinking this and still get confused sometimes if it's flashing or bumps.

[Oysterbabe]

Can you pop out and check now? I'd like to know. Thanks

[rhubarbcrumbles]

I got flashed a lot when I got a new car and it took me a while to realise that it was because it had xenon lights and as they were brand new they were super bright even when they were dipped


They are a nightmare, I drive on a road with no street lights which is up hill on the way I usually drive when it's dark. Cars with those lights have dazzled me so much that I've had no choice but to stop/slow down massively. Fine if you can pull off but on a dual carriageway it's a nightmare.

[YourOpinionIsNoted]

I'd definitely check you haven't been driving in the dark using only the automatic daytime running lights. Do many new cars have this; the problem is that the dash lights up so it can seem like you've got your proper lights on but you haven't. When you turn off full beam, you could be going back to only DLR which won't have anything on at the back of the car.

[IvinghoeBeacon]

I am certain people are not mistaking sidelights for headlights. It is worth knowing that some cars don’t put on rear lights in automatic. I will double check mine but H often drives behind me for part of the way to work and he has never mentioned it

[Seeingadistance]

My headlights come on automatically when I switch the engine on, but the rear lights come on too. I can’t think I’ve seen any with front lights only, but I’ll look out for it now.

[YouretheChristmasCarcass]

Are you driving in fog with high beams on? It's advised that you not use your high beams in fog. If you are, the people behind may be signaling that you're actually reducing visibility.

[lowlandLucky]

If you have just gone over a bump or down into a depression then the car behind you is going to go over the same bump or down into the same depression therefore the cars light will appear to flash

[rhubarbcrumbles]

but most are national speed

Most country roads are only NSL by default - a speed limit isn't set so it's NSL because there is nothing else. When the road is twisting and turning and narrow then NSL simply isn't safe.

[SourAndSnippy]

NeedAnExpert and coconuttelegraph. You are both talking about daytime running lights - the OP was talking about ‘full beams’ so I had discounted DRL as they are different things.

I have DRL on my car that I can’t turn off and I have automatic main lights where my front and rear lights automatically come on when the light fades.
DRL have been a legal requirement for front lights for new cars for a good few years.

coconuttelegraph. BTW there was no need to be rude. I drive a lot and I know the difference between DRL and main lights 😕

[SourAndSnippy]

HERE is an article by the RAC about people being confused about DRLs

[MindYours]

To all posters asking me to go out and check now - I'm sorry but I just can't be arsed 😃

[ReceptacleForTheRespectable]

Having lights on full beam does not affect drivers behind. However, if lots of the drivers behind you are flashing you, there must be something wrong.

a) Are you putting rear fog on by mistake?
b) Is the full beam triggering another light (e.g. reverse)?
c) Do you have a rear light that isn't working?

Park up, put your full beam on, and get someone to check the back of your car.