To ask a driving question?

[SendforJulietOne]

If I passed you when driving (passing each other going opposite ways) and I flashed my headlights at you and made a thumbs down sign, would you understand what I mean?

Context- I thought this was well-known, DP has never heard of it, so we're wondering if it's local to my area.

I haven’t come across that, to me flashes on a fast road are usually to say someone has full beam on. On a slow road people use them to say ‘go ahead’ if only one car can pass, or ‘thanks’. However, since reading an awful story about a pedestrian who interpreted the flashing ‘go ahead’ as meant for them, and was subsequently knocked down and killed by the other car, I try not to use it myself as a means of communication!

No, I'd think you were being weird and ignore you.

Why would you warn someone about that? If someone’s speeding that’s on them… Anyway never heard of this. If someone flashed me and did a thumbs down I’d assume I’d done something to piss them off

Police speed van ahead?

If expecting drivers not to kill me or my kids is about "perfect drivers" your standards are embarrassingly low

and again, it's not just about "speed" either.

I have the misfortune of having to drive in Wales and the ridiculous 20mph speed limit so regularly see another driver flash me. For all the perfect do gooders on here 25mph on a road with no houses or pedestrians is enough to get you points and a fine. Speeding doesn’t always mean rallying around at 90mph.

Nope, never heard of it or seen it.
I’d think I’d left my hazard lights on or there was something wrong with my car.

Don’t warn people of police speed traps. It’s illegal. You’ll be prosecuted if caught and speeding drivers are a danger to everyone on the roads.
If you’re only slightly exceeding the speed limit, you’ll get a speed awareness course, which is a warning you need.
If you don’t qualify for a speed awareness course because you’re going way too fast or have too many points already, then you deserve it 🤷🏼‍♀️

Not a gesture I've ever come across, I'd probably think you were criticizing my driving, and therefore we're a bit of a bell end (because of course I believe that I'm a brilliant driver)

I wouldn't know what that means, but I'd assume it means you're not happy with my driving. Which, I wouldn't give a shit about and I'd think you're a lunatic. I might even give you the finger, because I hate people who want me to drive the way they think I should drive.

Serious question: why do you think this behaviour is well-known? Is it something you learned in driving school and were taught is normal?

Exactly this and same in our area. The handheld speed checkers are notoriously more sensitive than fixed cameras so you can get a ticket for 1 or 2 mph over the limit (which is what happened to DP despite posters who seem to assume he was significantly speeding)

Personally I warn people who appear to be driving at the correct speed as it is very easy to be 1 or 2 miles over and not notice. It's very different to dangerous levels of speeding.

It's hard to say, I've just always "known". I'm nearly 40 so I've been driving over 20 years so I assume I just picked it up. Possibly from my dad as a child even?

I don't live rurally but I would definitely also understand a flash and a palm down to mean "slow down" for whatever reason as well. Thumbs down us possibly a local thing and a hangover from days that we're more anti police.

if you chose to speed past the legal limit, it's your problem. It's still dickish behaviour to flash people to warn them about police presence.

If you disagree about the speed limit, address it directly with whoever is in charge? If it's that ridiculous, you won't be the only one to disagree.

You’re not supposed to flash lights to tell people to go, yet people do it all the time. As I used to tell people as a driving instructor, there might be a danger (e.g. a motorcyclist overtaking you) that you didn’t see. If you want to give way, you should pause and let them decide.

you sound like a nightmare driver.

Car speedometers generally overestimate your speed, it will show a lot more than "1 or 2 miles" if you get caught for speeding.

Usually round here it would be slow down due to an obstruction or horses.

After a child was killed about 10 years ago by someone speeding it’s really not the done thing to warn of speed traps - especially as they are usually only ever on a bit road that is fucking dangerous and we’ve been campaigning for cameras/traffic calming for years.

Surely you’ve been here long enough to know that if you go 1 mph over the limit you must be publicly shamed and thrown in the stocks

This happened during a driving lesson and my instructor said it was to warn of a speed trap.

Hazard of some kind, never seen a thumbs down though.

the thread is not really about speeding but the immature behaviour of some bad drivers who think they are clever by warning of police presence.

Criminals often have codes and signals between themselves, that aren't known to others.

The reason he has to do the course isn't his lack of knowledge of this weird semaphore that everyone's supposed to know about. It's because he's a poor driver.

A nightmare driver for occasionally flashing my lights at someone?

Ok.

SHAME! SHAME!