Please read this - driving scam

[NotActuallyAMum]

Flash for crash scam

Thanks very much for posting this NotActually. I don't drive myself (but ride a moped so still could happen to me) and my husband does drive. We've been on the receiving end before of a false insurance claim against us and this article really helps us be aware in future. Sad to see though that a small act of kindness can be used in this way.

No problem NPL, sorry to hear you've been scammed before. It's things like this that put prices up for everyone

I was furious when I read it - you just wouldn't think anything of it would you? And of course in the eyes of the law there's nothing you can do if you go then they hit you

Isn't this an urban legend?

Im sure It has been on Snopes.

perhaps someone driving behind may notice erratic behaviour from the scammer and can they see the carin front flash lights.

sometimes its the only way to get out to turn right plus they are acting dangerously? police may wise up hopefully

That reminds me of a man my dad used to know. He was in the car with this man once when the friend flashed his lights at people coming towards him. The other driver's side of the road was obstructed, so the other driver interpreted it as my dad's friend giving way (even though the obstruction wasn't on his side so he had right of way). Then the friend carried on driving and got a mouthful of abuse from the other driver. My dad asked his friend what he had flashed for. His friend said 'to show him I was there - that's what's in the highway code. You're not supposed to flash your lights for any other reason'. Dad told me that when I was learning to drive and told me to look it up. His friend was right. You don't flash headlights to give priority to someone else - only to show them you're there. So even if these scammers admitted flashing their lights, they could argue they were just warning you not to pull out - and they'd be within the highway code for doing it. We've all just got into a habit of using headlights incorrectly...