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>> In the mountains of Italy, drivers give a short honk before entering a turn on a serpentine road At night i was on an airport transfer bus heading down the

>> In the mountains of Italy, drivers give a short honk before entering a turn on a serpentine road At night i was on an airport transfer bus heading down the Amalfi coast and the driver was flashing his headlights before barrelling into a hairpin turn giving no room for oncoming traffic. I stopped stamping on the imaginary brake pedal quite so hard when i realised this signal must mean I’m coming through which is the opposite from here in the UK where it means I’m giving way to you.

mnw21cam 5y ago
The highway code disagrees with you. Flashing your headlights or sounding the horn should only be used to draw someone's attention to the fact that you are there.
- VBprogrammer 5y ago
  Oh please. That's like citing the dictionary definition of a word which has come to mean something else. The actual uses of flashing headlights are much more varied than the official version. For example "you are driving with your headlights off and it's dark", "you are blinding me with your main beams" and "a tree has fallen in the road ahead". I would wager that the unofficial version outweighs the official 10 to 1. The only danger with flashing someone to give way is when there is potential for it to cause a conflict with other vehicles, for example a cyclist on your left. For that reason I always check my mirrors and slow to allow someone to cross in front of me rather than flashing them. Most people figure it out but don't completely disengage their own perception.
climb_stealth 5y ago
I learned both and it depends on the context. If you can see the other car and they can see you, flashing the lights means giving them right of way or showing them that they can go. If you are coming towards a blind corner it is just a way of bringing attention to you coming. I also do this when cars with high beams come over a crest. Flash your own high beams a few times and they can turn off their lights before coming over the crest blinding you.

mnw21cam 5y ago

The highway code disagrees with you. Flashing your headlights or sounding the horn should only be used to draw someone's attention to the fact that you are there.

VBprogrammer 5y ago
Oh please. That's like citing the dictionary definition of a word which has come to mean something else. The actual uses of flashing headlights are much more varied than the official version. For example "you are driving with your headlights off and it's dark", "you are blinding me with your main beams" and "a tree has fallen in the road ahead". I would wager that the unofficial version outweighs the official 10 to 1. The only danger with flashing someone to give way is when there is potential for it to cause a conflict with other vehicles, for example a cyclist on your left. For that reason I always check my mirrors and slow to allow someone to cross in front of me rather than flashing them. Most people figure it out but don't completely disengage their own perception.

climb_stealth 5y ago

I learned both and it depends on the context. If you can see the other car and they can see you, flashing the lights means giving them right of way or showing them that they can go. If you are coming towards a blind corner it is just a way of bringing attention to you coming. I also do this when cars with high beams come over a crest. Flash your own high beams a few times and they can turn off their lights before coming over the crest blinding you.