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?!

[Fruitbatdancer]

I reckon either you are going slowly, or do you have a ‘flash if you got bashed/ honk if you bonked’ style sticker that could be it!

[ReceptacleForTheRespectable]

Or is it a daytime running light related issue? (These are usually only on the front of the car, as referred to by a pp) Are you sure your lights are actually turned on properly?

Daytime running lights are a safety hazard imo. An enormous number of people drive around in the dark not realising that they have no proper lights on because they can see two little spots of light reflected back at them from the car in front. But all they actually have is two shitty lights at the front and nothing at the back.

Always check that your lights are actually turned on!

[MindYours]

It's a 4 year old Toyota Aygo. Any flashing starts as soon as I put beams on and stops after I've switched them off.

For the millionth time. I am not driving too slow. I am not an incompetent or dangerous driver. I can tell the difference between lights being adjusted for a split second due to a car dipping on an uneven road and someone pushing their finger onto their full beam option for 2 or 3 seconds because they're trying to tell me something. IT IS NOT DUE TO ROAD BUMPS.

[HeronLanyon]

---Re dips in the road producing flashing effect - I once walked back along a few miles of very remote
Country lane very very drunk one NYE after village festivities. The one cottage we could see ahead had Christmas lights along the front which kept turning on and off as we walked I kept saying slurring ‘why are Helen and Ben flicking their lights all the time?’ Dp kept slurring back that it was the dips in the lane we were walking stumbling along. Took me ages to understand !

[HeronLanyon]

Although not in your case op !

[FloreanFortescue]

Come OP go out and check, we need closure.

[SourAndSnippy]

Any flashing starts as soon as I put beams on and stops after I've switched them off

To clarify....

it’s not your day time running lights?
it’s only when you put your main lights on full beam?
It’s NOT when your main lights are dipped?
Does this only happens at night?

[soupforbrains]

OP, nobody on this thread is trying to insult you. It is completely impossible for any of us to know exactly why those people are flashing you. All we can do is make suggestions or assumptions.

I appreciate it's tedious to have people repeating themselves/others but you know what it's like on threads, people don't always RTFT before commenting so you're bound to get some repetition.

Being snippy isn't going to help anyone.

Several very sensible suggestions have been made about potential causes regarding the functioning of your lights and your response is that you 'can't be arsed' to check those things now. As such nobody can give you any further help.

I have only one further possible reason. I read the thread but I wasn't sure if the lanes you drive on are single tracks with passing places? we have a lot of those around here and one of the times when cars behind me flashing is most irritating is when we pass other vehicles and the cars behind me flash the person in the opposite direction to say thanks/acknowledge thanks given. I saw from your clarifications that the flashing stops when you don't have your full beams on so I'm not sure that this could be the cause but I can't think of any possible reasons which others haven't already suggested.

With regard to cars behind you flashing because of speed. You don't actually have to be driving slowly for them to flash you in that manner, some people are just very impatient arses who want to be able to speed freely.

[MindYours]

I only really posted to find out if full beams affect back lights in some way, so thanks everyone for confirming they shouldn't. I'm assuming electrical issue of some sort, I'm in bed now and it's freezing outside. I'll investigate tomorrow.

[Lulualla]

I dont know why you're getting so snappy with people. If you're as competent as you think you are then the first thing you'd have done was gone out and put your full beams on then looked at the back of your car to check all your lights. Instead, you posted on mumsnet...

[SarahTancredi]

Its the car. I expect it's like.my fiesta. An embarrassment to be seen behind and invisible to the naked eye at junctions and roundabout and they are.magnetised to because even when you drive bang on the speed limit or clearly cant go anywhere because they at the very least can see the lorry infront of you, your cars magnetic field pulls the car behind you so close your lucky you didnt catch clamidiya.

I think they are just wankers op ones who probably also think.its hilarious their lights are so frickin bright your whole car looks like you are being abducted by aliens.

[JenniferM1989]

Most country roads don't have a speed limit of 40, maybe that's the issue. All the country roads around here are 50 or 60 and will drop to 20 or 30 when passing through villages and things like that

[RoomR0613]

OP just to clarify, did this happen in a previous car as well or have people misread what you wrote?

If it did happen in a previous car too it's unlikely to be the same (unusual) electrical fault twice.

How do you switch your full beams on?

[Notodontidae]

The only time main beam affects the car behind on a country road is when they would like to overtake, your floodlights obscure the lights of on-coming vehicles, and they cannot risk over-taking. It seems like they want you to dip your lights and move tight to the left. I have also followed cars with no rear lights, and come close to rear ending a car with no break lights, so it is no wonder some people are enquiring about the lights you cannot be arsed to check. You started this post?

[AnAngryElf]

Placemarking so I find out the answer tomorrow. I need to know

[TrainspottingWelsh]

Yes rhubarb I'm aware of that thanks.

However there is a difference between doing 40mph because it's an appropriate speed for the conditions, and doing 40mph because you are mistaken about the limit.

[TSSDNCOP]

I tend to think of everyone’s trying to tell you something they’re probably right. What it is isn’t possible for people in the internet, but the smart thing would be to get your car checked by a mechanic.

[Cheeserton]

If anything I'd bet fog light.

[MindYours]

@cheeserton I'm thinking the same

[gh621]

Well this is concerning, I have the daytime lights that I cannot switch off but I also have the automatic lights that come on as the daylight fades, the correct symbols come up on the dash but I’d better check the back lights are on too, never occurred to me that they wouldn’t be!

[ReceptacleForTheRespectable]

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!

Unfortunately lots of people really do this! They see a couple of lights reflected in the car ahead of them, and assume they have full lights on. It clearly doesn't occur to them to check the dashboard.

[cabbageking]

The cars are unlikely to be flashing randomly.

The dips in the road may mean their lights appear to flash or are reflecting off your wing mirrors so you think they are flashing.

[Andysbestadventure]

They're probably just signalling you to turn your full beam off. Because you don't need them on and you could dazzle an unsuspecting oncoming vehicle. Also many people find other drivers with full beam on a more dangerous distraction, even if you're the car infront.

[friedbeansandcheese]

@MargotMoon, ffs, I thought you had to pass a driving test to be one the Road?

Bloody hell, looking at that table I've realised that I though full beams and fog lights were the same thing. I don't even know how to my put fog lights on

Well, you shouldn’t be driving with that lack of knowledge. Fgs.

[friedbeansandcheese]

On the road!