On the highway, my husband tends to go at least 15 to 20 kilometres an hour above the speed limit. Whenever there’s a car in front of us going slower, he flashes his high beams as a signal for the slower car to get out of his way. He says it’s a recognized signal. When it doesn’t work, he gets mad and just flashes more because he says the jerks (he uses a different word) in the slower cars aren’t following the rule. Is this actually a rule? – Julie, Brampton, Ont.
Flashing your high beams to make a slower driver move out of your way isn’t such a bright idea, driving safety experts say. That’s because there’s only a dim chance it will work.
“What you think is supposed to happen as a result of this attempt at communication is probably not going to happen unless you both know Morse code,” said Angelo DiCicco, general manager with the Ontario Safety League, a charity that offers safety and training programs for schools and the transportation industry. “More than likely, it will escalate to a less than appropriate response from the driver in front of you, especially if it is more than one flash on and off.”
None of the provincial road rules, including Ontario’s Highway Traffic Act (HTA), say that flashing high beams is a signal for the car in front of you to clear the way – or a signal for anything else.
“There are a number of drivers who don’t know what it means because we don’t teach it; it isn’t in the HTA or in the Driver’s Handbook,” DiCicco said. Even if the driver in front of you figures out that you’re telling them to move, the response might be “make me.”
They may signal back – for instance, by refusing to budge, slowing down to exactly the speed limit or slamming on the brakes. There’s a danger that if the situation escalates further – say the driver in the rear car then honks or tailgates or keeps putting on the brights – their behaviour could lead to a road rage incident or even a crash.
“A loss of temper brings about a loss of judgment,” DiCicco said. “It could escalate into something far worse than either of you thought about.”
Light conversation?
So, is it against the law to flash your high beams to signal to another driver? Not during the day.
But, in Ontario, for instance, if it is night and the car you are following is less than 60 metres in front of you, police could charge you under section 168 of the HTA.
You can also be charged if you have your brights on at night within 150 metres of an oncoming car.
If your car has automatic high beams, which turn off when you’re too close to another car – a feature found in many newer vehicles – it’s a good idea to use it, DiCicco said.
“If you find yourself needing to flash high beams on and off, you probably shouldn’t have that ability any more,” he said. “Anyone who is wanting to flash their high beams is probably wanting to teach another driver a lesson.”
That said, if you are the slow car, the best idea is to get out of the way, if you can do so safely.
“If a driver behind you is in a big hurry, let them go,” Ian Law, president and chief instructor at Mount Albert, Ont.-based ILR Car Control School, said in an e-mail. “You also don’t want them behind you as they will tailgate you – making them a safety problem.”
In fact, the law in Ontario says that slower traffic should keep to the right on a multi-lane highway, said Kerry Schmidt, spokesman for the Highway Safety Division of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP).
“If everyone did follow the Highway Traffic Act and stay to the right, or, if being overtaken, move to the right, we wouldn’t have [so many] issues with passing,” Schmidt said. “If you’re noticing vehicles passing you on the right, you’re in the wrong lane.”
In Ontario, section 147 of the HTA states any “vehicle travelling upon a roadway at less than the normal speed of traffic at that time and place shall, where practicable, be driven in the right-hand lane.”
While Quebec is the only province where the left lane on a highway is only for passing or turning left, most other provinces say that slower traffic should keep to the right.
‘A little more compassion’
If you’re the driver in a hurry, stuck behind a line of slowpokes, it is not up to you to enforce the law, DiCicco said.
“If you feel the need to flash high beams, I would take one or two deep breaths and look for the next coffee shop,” DiCicco said. “Because the problem is with you.”
That slow driver in front of you may not be able to go any faster because, for example, there may be a mechanical problem with their car or there may be ice on the road.
Even if you do get that slow driver to get out of your way, “in eight seconds, you’ll just end up behind the rear of the next car,” DiCicco said.
Whether you’re the car being flashed or the car staying put, remember that highway driving isn’t a competitive sport.
“We need to have a little more co-operation and a little more courtesy,” OPP’s Schmidt said.
Have a driving question? Send it to globedrive@globeandmail.com and put ‘Driving Concerns’ in your subject line. Emails without the correct subject line may not be answered. Canada’s a big place, so let us know where you are so we can find the answer for your city and province.
Jason Tchir