What with people taking to the highways this time of year, I thought I’d repost some suggestions I wrote out in 2011:
If you’re driving on a highway and the traffic suddenly slows or stops, and the vehicles behind you are at some distance:
1. Turn on your hazard lights.
2. Leave significant space between you and the vehicle in front of you.
3. Keep checking your rear-view mirror.
4. After someone has come up behind you, turn your hazard lights off.
If someone coming up behind you is not paying full attention, your hazard lights might catch their eye and prompt them to slow down or stop in time. If not, the free space in front of your vehicle might lessen the severity of a collision.
I called the Illinois State Police to ask what they thought about using hazard lights in this way. A desk sergeant said it was the right thing to do and added the second and third suggestions. I've added the fourth for clarity. Please, pass them on.
[What prompted me to think about these things? Driving on interstates through rain and fog and using hazard lights when traffic suddenly slowed and I was the last in line. I also left significant space and checked my mirror, but I do those things without thinking and would not have thought to recommend them.]
Friday, May 19, 2023
Turn on your hazard lights, &c.
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Interesting minor transatlantic difference - this from the UK Highway Code (which strictly doesn't have the force of law, but going against it tends to count badly for you if problems arise
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Hazard warning lights. These may be used when your vehicle is stationary, to warn that it is temporarily obstructing traffic. Never use them as an excuse for dangerous or illegal parking. You MUST NOT use hazard warning lights while driving or being towed unless you are on a motorway or unrestricted dual carriageway and you need to warn drivers behind you of a hazard or obstruction ahead. Only use them for long enough to ensure that your warning has been observed.
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Now, in practice many drivers do use them in exactly the way you describe, but over here we're not supposed to except for short bursts (there's also the international game of spot-the-driver-who-forgot-to-cancel-them)
I think there’s agreement here: “Only use them for long enough to ensure that your warning has been observed.” Once someone comes up behind you, it’s time to turn them off. I’m going to add that to the post.
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