AIBU to flash my hazards for "thank you" or is it actually rude 😬

[Newusernameforthiss]

I learnt to drive very late (mid 30s) and I'm pretty nervous/cautious. I live in London, where the average standard of driving is terrifying and you have to be super aggressive to get in and out of gaps etc.

I have learnt to flash my headlights, and that this means "go ahead" if you're waiting by a line of parked cars or "go on your turn" at a junction. Or even just a pass-agg "I'm here" if honking would be a bit much.

When I let people in ahead of me in a queue/merging, they often flash their hazards once at me, so I took it to mean "thank you" so I do it too now.

When I drive outside of London, I do "thank you hazards" and people put their headlights on full or honk at me 😬😬😬 is it rude outside the M25? Is it rude everywhere??? And I've completely misinterpreted it? This stuff is a nightmare. I've only just got into the groove of remembering to bring biscuits every time I go on a playdate for the children. Obviously my first priority is driving safely but I hate there's some kind of etiquette code I have no idea about???

YABU - flashing you hazard lights is rude
YANBU - thank you hazards are a thing

you have to be super aggressive to get in and out of gaps etc.

Do you barge your way into gaps and then put hazards on to thank them? Thank them for what exactly? You wait until you get an "invitation " to go, you go and then you thank them otherwise you are just giving them an entitled-fuck -you-one finger-salute. So what do you actually do?

The other use of hazards seems to be with parking.

The message being "I know I've parked like an arsehole but putting my hazards on somehow makes it alright".

Well it's really not necessary to do the whole thank-you-hazards thing (I've never done it because I find it too distracting to find and press the hazard button when I need to be concentrating on the road).

I don't know why it would make people angry but if it's bothering you, just try not doing it? It's not expected.

It tends to be lorry drivers who flip their hazards briefly on and off to say thanks round here, usually if you have eased back a bit and made a gap so they can pull in front of you on a dual carriageway. Bus drivers will flash their left then right indicators once for the same reason.

If you're in a car I wouldn't think it was a good idea to be honest. Much easier to just wave your left hand in a large and dramatic fashion so they can see you acknowledging them through your rear windscreen.

Not seen hazards used as a thankyou.

The one drivers round here use is to alternate indicators left/right/left after being let in.

I think unless the response involves lots of honking or rude hand signals out the window, and also doesn't involve being tail-gated or brake checked... its a thankyou.

Normal here (surrey) to flick hazards to say thanks if cant see a hand gesture

I tend to dip my lights in winter as a thank you (quick dip down to side lights and back up).
If someone lets me out and are then behind me, I’ll stick my hazards on for a few seconds as a thank you.

This is all super useful, thanks everyone 👍

It's against the highway code to flash lights other than to show your presence, and for hazards to show a hazard.

There's an awful junction near me where folk flash others out and there have been a number of awful accidents including a fatality as the 'flashee' has then proceeded across the junction without checking for incoming traffic (that the 'flasher' can't see). Don't EVER assume it's safe to pull out/in if someone flashes you.

It used to be a “lorry driver’s Thank You” to put both indicators on in turn very briefly if you let them in front of you. As I’ve got older more people use a quick flash of the hazards in their cars for letting people out/pull in. I suppose people find the hazards easier than flicking indicators left then right.
If you’re giving way to people OP I can’t see how they’d find it rude to flash to draw attention to the fact you’ve stopped or slowed for them.

I'm in the Midlands. Definitely a thing here. And a flash of the other car's lights afterwards is saying "no bother". Car language is definitely a thing😀

Baffled as to the number who've never been thanked by hazards, but then realised this is mainly on motorways. If you don't do much motorway driving and you don't let people in, you might not have experienced this, as it tends to occur with merging lanes etc but it is standard practice amongst most drivers.

I flash to let people go, wave a hand to thank people letting me go and flash hazards if someone lets me in on a motorway, e.g. leaves a gap to let me in when I'm merging lanes.

Agree would never flash at a junction- dangerous and confusing
I put my hand up and mini flash (occasionally )when someone has pulled in for me eg behind parked cars or in giveaway space on narrow rural road with only single line traffic.

It can mean any of the following:
thank you
please go ahead
there is a speed trap coming up
there is a hazard in the road
there Is something wrong with your car
you need to put your lights on
you need to take your lights off full beam

i flash to say thanks

plenty of cars flash with their hazards, if i let them out

Normal. The 'Thank you' hazard flash, and the 'You're welcome' headlight flash in return.

Makes you feel like you're winning in life 💪

I see people flashing hazards as a thank you quite often, if they're thanking someone behind them.

I always give a cheeky little flash of my hazards to thank people. Absolutely fine @Newusernameforthiss

Are you really half blinded by hazard lights? They aren’t normally that bright.

I’m just outside the M25 and briefly flashing hazards as a thank you, and a flash of headlights to let someone go in front of you (usually joining from a side road) are both definitely a thing. Especially on the school run. I also love car language 😊

The only annoying thing here now though is that a noticeably large number of drivers don’t follow the give way to the right roundabout rules, and just stop instead of going 🤦‍♀️. It’s so bad that friends and relatives visiting us from other areas have mentioned it.

some roundabouts can be ridiculous with people seeming to let me out when it is their right of way! i sit tight, generally

A single/double flash of hazards is acceptable to thank the vehicle behind if they've let you in to the lane. It's more usual to do a right-left indicator blink though. It most commonly applies in lane 1 of a motorway/dual carriageway. It's more of a trucker/van thing than for car drivers though - we play by trucker rules when out in the motorhome and when you do/don't flash headlights and use the trucker thank you are well understood.

In a car the driver of a car behind should be able to see a simple hand wave.

That's a bit bonkers tbf.

Yep, and here. (Midlands!)