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?!

Not read all posts but can you get a pal to follow you and tell you if you/ car have a problem

@pigletjohn blue

Most country road near me are 40mph because sheep. They jump out in front of you and they don’t care.

Not saying it’s the OP’s case but there’s an insane amount of cars out there with wonky lights, malfunctioning lights and, occasionally, no lights at all. I am always telling people to check their lights, specially in winter I’m that person on the village FB group...

I think some kind of electrical fault when you put the beams on. Definitely get someone to drive behind you and check

I get this too, people have flashed me on country roads and on the motorway. I think my headlights are misaligned and need readjusted.
You can do it yourself or go to the garage to get it done.

I'd say a fault too.

In all my years of driving and having to travel at night on country road on a regular basis, I've never been flashed when having my high beam on.

I've been flashed a few times by boy racers for daring to be in their way while they engage in their silverstone fantasies.

We should all check our lights periodically anyway. (I always forget, ahem).

Fog lights, not all cars have front fogs but rear fogs are required. (If you don't have front fogs, just use dipped headlights in fog, not full beam.)

My guess is electrical fault. Check your back lights OP

I drive down a unlit country road, and like you had people ’flashing’ at me. Eventually worked out it was people being scared of the road, just illuminating the road, without considering how it looked to me.

It's the muppets that seem to think it's acceptable to drive when they don't even know how their lights work or when to use them. Probably some of the posters on this thread, trying to discover what the pretty buttons do as they drive along. 'Oh, but my dashboard looks so nice with the little blue thing all lit up'

Judging by some of the responses here, maybe you're right! I can't believe there are people with driving licences who don't know how to use for lights, or who think its wrong to use full beam on a quiet, unlit road.

^ fog lights

I don’t see how it can be an electrical fault if it happened in the op’s last car too.

I fell foul of the daylight running thing too with my newish car. I was driving along in the dark, could see perfectly well, but was being flashed insistently from behind. I had no idea what was going on! I fiddled about with the lights so must have switched them on as the flashing stopped, but I was bemused. DLRs aren't pointless specks of light, they were more than enough for me to see on the road I was on.

Anyway, got home, did some googling and realised that daylight running lights only work in the front, so if you leave them on by accident it looks like you have no lights on at the back. Now my lights are on the automatic setting and come on at the front and back. The difference is, my gearbox lights up! And nobody has flashed me from behind since.

The flashing that happens when someone goes over bumps in the road is very different to proper flashing.

And surely people don't flash people because they feel they are going too slowly in the dark when they are the lead car? It's much easier to follow someone! And every time the OP puts her beam on? Seems somewhat unlikely. I don't drive very fast in the dark and have never been flashed except for the DLR issue.

As for telling someone to get their full beam off, if I am the lead car, I will decide if I need it on or not. What is annoying is when I decide I don't need it, and the car behind me decides that it does, even though it's following me! You do not need your full beam if you are behind someone.

Anyway, got home, did some googling and realised that daylight running lights only work in the front, so if you leave them on by accident it looks like you have no lights on at the back

I wish everyone with those blasted lights was as thoughtful as you and actually found out how they work

@AuntSpiker that was me about 2 weeks ago travelling south on the A1. I was in DHs car and my heart was in my mouth trying to switch the fogs on. It barely made a difference and I ended up tailing a lorry for vision. Pea soup!

Fortunately I drive a Volvo.. it has dipped beam and rear lights on permanently. If I go to full beam then the car senses any other vehicles approaching and returns to dipped.... wonderful technology!

It does sound to me like OPs car has a fault.... a friend had a car where every time she used her indicator ALL her rear lights started flashing.....

It does sound to me like OPs car has a fault

But it happened in her last car too?

If you check over your car and everything is ok, which it’s likely to be since you had the same issue with your last car then it’s you. Either you are not seeing things correctly in terms of the flashing, you have the wrong type of lights on, or your driving is concerning others on the road. You’ve already said you go over the speed limit, so perhaps other drivers think you are dangerous even though you don’t think this yourself. 🤷🏻‍♀️

But it happened in her last car too?

Oh I didn’t see that....

I think I found the problem. Seems there’s a position where only headlights are on. Trying to think of a single situation where that’s a good idea.

daylight running lights only work in the front, so if you leave them on by accident it looks like you have no lights on at the back

In the two cars that we have had with DLRs, they were only fitted at the front (as legislated for), they came on when the engine was started, and went off when any side or main lights were switched on. So you can't "leave them on by accident", as you actually have no direct control of them, which is the whole idea. Unless, that is, you are one of those drivers to whom the law does not apply, who assume that their grey car becomes magically hyper-visible at dusk and never switch any side-lights or running lights on until it's really dark.

Country roads. 40MPH? Are you sure OP? My betting is you are going 40 instead of 60 and haven't realised it. And they're flashing you to get a move on

Some country roads are 40mph, of course they are

I’ve never flashed at anyone to get them to speed up. How aggressive and unnecessary

I've had this as well. It's really distracting!

So you can't "leave them on by accident", as you actually have no direct control of them, which is the whole idea

The pp is referring to people who leave DLRs on instead of putting on the proper lights, because they mistakenly think they already have full lights on.