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To flash or not to flash

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Mark Cummings | 11:49 UK time, Monday, 10 January 2011

So how do you decipher between road etiquette and breaking the law?

It's fair to say that most of us will have at some point or other flashed a driver for giving way or waved some out of a junction.

But could we be lining ourselves up for trouble after a driver was convicted and fined for wilfully obstructing a police officer in the execution of his duty after he flashed his lights to warn there was a speed trap.

Is there anything wrong in your view flashing a fellow motorist to warm them of an impending speed camera? cummings@bbc.co.uk.



Here is a selection of today's comments.

ANGELA SAYS THAT WHEN SHE TOOK HER 5TH DRIVING TEST IN 1989 SHE KNEW THE HIGHWAY CODE ABOUT FLASHING LIGHTS. DURING THE TEST A COURTEOUS DRIVER STOPPED AND FLASHED THEIR LIGHTS TO ALLOW ME TO PULL OUT!I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO DO BUT MY EXAMINER REALISED MY DILEMMA AND TOLD ME TO PULL OUT. IT MUST HAVE BEEN OKAY AS I PASSED!

MARTIN IN GLOUCESTER SAYS APPARENTLY AN AA PATROL OFFICER WOULD SALUTE UNLESS THERE WAS A SPEED TRAP

TOM IN MINCHAMPTON AND SHAZ ON THE TEXT SAYS THAT THE AA WAS SET UP AS A WAY OF WARNING FELLOW MEMBERS ABOUT SPEED CHECKS AHEAD.

ANDY IN QUEDGELEY THINKS THE PURPOSE OF SPEED CAMERAS IS TO HELP AVOID ACCIDENTS BY SLOWING THE TRAFFIC DOWN RATHER THAN A REVENUE COLLECTION SYSTEM. THEREFORE IF MOTORISTS WARN DRIVERS TO SLOW DOWN THEN THAT'S A RESULT AND TO PROSECUTE THOSE WHO FLASH LIGHTS IS JUST SILLY.

KAREN IN GLOUCESTER SAYS HER GRANDFATHER WOULD ALWAYS MAKE A SUBTLE 'THUMBS-DOWN' TO OTHER MOTORISTS IF THE POLICE WERE AROUND

GRAHAM IN WHITCOMBE ALWAYS THOUGHT THE POLICE WERE NEVER OUT TO CATCH PEOPLE SURELY THEN THERE'S NO HALM IN DRIVERS FLASHING OTHERS TO WARN THEM.

JOHN ON THE TEXT: A LOT OF PEOPLE FLASHING LIGHTS TO WARN OF AN ACCIDENT AHEAD AND TO SLOW DOWN SOME PEOPLE WAVE ARMS OUT OF WINDOWS AND OTHERS DRIVERS THANK ME.

GERRY IN CIRENECESTER: FLASHING HEADLIGHTS TO WARN OTHER DRIVERS WHAT'S THE HARM IN THAT?

DAVE TETBURY: CERTAIN PARTS OF THE HIGHWAY CODE ARE NOT COMPULSORY, BUT ADVISABLE AND YOU CANNOT BE PROSECUTED FOR NON- ADHERENCE THE QUOTE: "A FAILURE ON THE PART OF THE PERSON TO OBSERVE A PROVISION OF THE HIGHWAY CODE SHALL NOT ITSELF RENDER THAT PERSON LIABLE TO CRIMINAL PROCEEDINGS OF ANY KIND"

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