Not pulling out for flashing cars?

[MyNewSnail]

I was at the supermarket today and was turning right onto a main road. The road was empty and the car coming to my right stopped and flashed for me to come out.

I didn't want to pull out and she gave me abuse when I eventually did (just kidding I was shaking my head and shouting at her for her to drive but she wouldn't)

My reasoning is that there was zero need for the car to stop and should she hit me (on purpose or accident) than I'm at fault.

Aibu

Yanbu I always make my own decisions regarding pulling out I don’t just do what other people say.

Why do you need to be so difficult?

Why would another car hit you deliberately do you think ?

Because she wants to assess the risk herself @1SillySossij ? I never cross the road when I’m walking if a driver indicates for me to. There were 2 cases of children being killed because of that when was at school.

Who's being difficult? Be predictable when driving....

Crash for cash? Or when you don't pull out quick enough and than the other car moves and you crash, or you interpreted the flashing lights for you when they were actually for someone else?

Hence why everyone sticks to the same rules

It's the tone that someone is being "difficult" when they aren't following another person orders lol.

Why are people being difficult and flashing you out on an empty road is the real question

YANBU I hate it when (men) try and mansplain me into driving decisions. Its dangerous as well. They're not at the same vantage point and maybe cant see something I can see. Also I feel like its ethically (if not legally) dodgy. I'm in control of a large powerful car and I should be the only one making snap decisions on when to pull out.

I used to be a driving instructor, here is the advice I always gave: if someone flashes you, it’s ok to pull out, as long as you do look carefully, and decide for yourself. Beware of cyclists or motorcyclists overtaking the flashing vehicle. Beware also that that wrong person might see it. Only pull out if they are at least slowing down.

Yes, “crash for cash” is real, hence the importance of making sure they look as if they intend to stop. Those types tend to flash really insistently. I expect it’s less attractive now as a scam than it used to be, as more people have dash cams, to show that (for example) they suddenly sped up before the crash. I don’t think it’s as big as it used to be.

But most importantly, I told pupils to never flash or beckon anybody else, even though other drivers do it all the time, because there might be a danger you didn’t see (and the motorised cyclists can now appear with almost no warning), or the wrong person might see it. If you want to give way, best to slow down and let them decide. If I do this, I will not even make eye contact, never mind flash lights.

This drives me potty. I WILL NOT respond to random headlight Morse code, because there is a Highway Code.

if you pull out due to some flashing twat and something hits you, you hit something where will the headlight flashing twat be? NOWHERE.

Not a question your insurer will ask.

Cyclist and pedestrian and driver here. This is my bugbear. The amount of people that flash a car to cross right over the cycle lane I am cycling down is unbelievable. It’s so dangerous. I never move for someone who flashes (as a driver or pedestrian) unless I can totally assess the situation for myself. I have also had a banger car slam on their brakes inexplicably on a roundabout just infront of me before. Classic crash for cash tactics. I didn’t hit them but it does happen.

You should only pull out (or do any manouvre) if you are confident its safe.

YANBU, a friend was waiting to pull out of her workplace, was flashed by an on coming car on the far lane, she felt obliged to go, and was broad sided by a car in the near lane. Her fault of course as she hadn't checked properly. She said she had felt obliged to go, panicked a bit, and thought that the person who flashed had read the road. An expensive lesson to learn. I don't like cars who flash me when I am cycling as I am never sure if they do mean me, or a car/person around me. I prefer to make decisions for myself and never flash anyone when driving.

I don’t mind when it’s busy and traffic is very slow moving and someone lets you out and sometimes if people didn’t do it it would snarl up junctions even more but it drives me nuts when it’s quiet and everyone should just be driving in a normal way. I hate it even more as a pedestrian when I think “I can cross after this red car as there is nothing behind it fir a hundred miles” and they flash at you to throw yourself under their wheels and then they stop and wave you across whist shaking their heads like you’ve done something wrong. Not only is it dangerous but they act like they are doing you a colossal favour when it should probably have been quicker for everyone if they had ignored yiu and carried in with their day.
dds friend failed her driving test by pulling out when someone flashed. A driving instructors car half a mile from the test centre and they stopped in the road to “let” her out.

I assume she was on the main road so had right of way over you - I hate it when people introduce potential confusion when the rules are clear too. But you thinking she may deliberately ram you is a bit paranoid OP!

I always let people out at junctions if I'm turning into one, was she turning or going straight ahead?

I tend to hold back if I think someone may be able to pull out safely, but I don't flash my lights, I leave the decision to them. If they don't pull out, I continue on my way.

If you’re so anxious that you believe a stopped driver will suddenly purposely hit you, should you be driving?

Sounds like six of one half a dozen of the other.

Other driver was probably trying to help.
they were out of order by being annoyed you ignored them.
But otoh, are you really expecting their motive to be to hit you on purpose? They’re not going to hit you accidentally either if theyve flashed you to come out; that’s the whole point of flashing someone.

Happened to my friend recently she was flashed out then he hit her I think insurance initially said it would be 50/50 because he hit her in the rear but they then said it was entirely her fault really not sure why people do this?

Saying that I nearly got hit Friday there was a junction large van pulling in I had plenty of time to pull out it was a thirty road loads of distance between us and the car approaching (if they were doing thirty) I tootle off up the road quickly up to speed and look in my rear view CAR and she wasn't backing down either she was practically kissing my ass and I had to slow down for an island fortunately there were no cars on the island and I could keep going but it was close car drivers are ridiculous in my area rn

Unless you have a dash cam how do you prove they flashed you? Genuinely my friend had no evidence he did that and ended up with an insurance claim

I live on a long road with a lot of bumps.
When I'm pulling out of my drive it's impossible to tell if an approaching car is flashing its lights to let me go or the lights are just moving up and down with the bumps. Or are the lights flashing to warn me about an approaching car?

I'm very reluctant to assume the meaning behind a flashing light.

You observe that they’ve actually slowed accordingly and proceed if you’re judged them to have acknowledged you. Obviously it’s upto you to check the other way pulling out but the vast majority of the time drivers are just trying to help, not instigate some insurance scam as the Op suggests.

I probably flashed a dozen cars today on my 80 mile journey home today, helping them pull out or across. It’s not rocket surgery, and I think the OP is somewhat paranoid.

I never go when someone flashes me, I’ll go once I’ve assessed the road and I’ve decided it’s safe, i can see the benefit of flashing when you’re in stop start traffic but on a normal road with nothing behind them or light traffic then there’s no ‘need’ for them to let me go, so I’ll just sit there shaking my head, I don’t care if it annoys them, they’re not the boss of me.