Is flashing your headlights illegal or a free speech issue?

Orlando Sentinel.com ^ | August 26, 2011 | Rene Stutzman

[Daffynition]

There is no Florida law that prohibits light-flashing, said Oviedo attorney J. Marcus Jones. He claims officers are simply twisting a law that was designed to prohibit drivers from adding after-market emergency lights to their vehicles.

When officers write those tickets, he said, they violate a driver's constitutional right to free speech. If motorists want to flash their lights to warn about a speed trap ahead, they are free to do so, according to his suit.

[Daffynition]

I suppose it depends on who is doing the *asking.*

[bgill]

Sounds like a class action suit is in order. Threaten to bankrupt the city/county and fire the chief of police and see how fast they quit writing bogus tickets. The LE can’t prove the motorists weren’t merely checking their lights and not warning anyone.

[Textide]

Always wanted to hold a sign saying "Revenue Collector with a gun" ahead. They probably wouldn't like that either.

[loucon]

In Louisiana, we flash our lights to alert oncoming traffic of any situation. It could be an accident, live stock on the roadway, roadwork, and yes, speed traps.

[Daffynition]

It’s all about the revenue stream.

[BigCinBigD]

That’s why I have a CB.

[Daffynition]

Really. :)

[Daffynition]

At one time, I thought there was a signal code used by truckers for 1,2,3,4 flashes, and their meaning.

It's your turn to go, at a 4-way stop, so go already

I'm letting you out in front of me

There is a cop up ahead, slow down

There is a dangerous situation up ahead, slow down

Turn off your damn high beams when you're coming at me

Get out of my way, the left lane is for passing

[SeeSharp]

The LE can’t prove the motorists weren’t merely checking their lights and not warning anyone.

Keep in mind that in court no one ever has to prove anything. They just have to convince a jury.

[Daffynition]

Do you know how to *talk like a trucker*?

[loucon]

At one time, I thought there was a signal code used by truckers for 1,2,3,4 flashes, and their meaning.

It's your turn to go, at a 4-way stop, so go already
That's two quick flashes.

I'm letting you out in front of me
Same as above.

There is a cop up ahead, slow down
One long flash.

There is a dangerous situation up ahead, slow down
Three quick flashes, repeated several times.

Turn off your damn high beams when you're coming at me
Flashing high beams.

Get out of my way, the left lane is for passing
That's done with a hand gesture.

[skinkinthegrass]

WHOA!....*shock*

A major traffic stop!
....w/ guns drawn rockets, cannons, machine guns and 200+ mph.

[Quickgun]

Advising someone not to break the law is crime prevention. No different than putting up a “Shoplifters will be prosecuted”sign.Nothing illegal. Greedy municipalities and cops will try anything though, unless they are sued.

[Daffynition]

[Celtic Conservative]

The honest, good cop doesn't want to write a ton of tickets, He wants compliance. If he gets people to comply by motorists shining their lights at each other, so much the better. They're policing themselves. If,however the cop is a maladjusted dipsh*t...

CC

[LearsFool]

They're policing themselves.

No they're not.

They're helping each other avoid the penalties of not policing themselves.

"Policing themselves" would be things like non-speeders blowing their horns at speeders, or waving their arms in the "slow down!" motion, or blocking lanes so speeders wouldn't be able to speed...or better yet following the speeder to where he's going and explaining to him that if he keeps breaking the law, the law is going to get tough on all of us, and the rest of us won't take it kindly.

Think of it like a class of second-graders: The teacher says, "Okay, when everyone is quiet, you can go outside for recess." But a couple of kids in the back keep snickering and cutting up. So nobody gets to go to recess. Who're you gonna get mad at?

[jnsun]

Keep in mind that in court no one ever has to prove anything. They just have to convince a jury.

That is the major aspect of the problem: There IS NO jury. There are only LEO's and judges, i.e. the State self-serving community.

If there were juries of distributed citizenry half of this nonsense would be eliminated, on many issues. Philosophically, sociologically, ideologically, the best any society can do is for judgement by the egilitarian constituency. It may not always be just (ala OJ Simpson) but it is more appropriate than a vested cabal.

This is a profound issue and has become increasingly focused with authoritarian officials like Obama, Reid (all sons are lawyers), the Left, who wield the law ruthlessly for selected agenda's. This IS the intent.

Johnny Suntrade

[MNDude]

Maybe one out of a thousand motorists will flash to warn others. I’ve never even seen it done before. I doubt the handful that do it, and the even fewer speedsters that understand the flash will really ruin the cops day of speedtrapping.

[Esther Ruth]

Well then there is the opinion that all the speaders and their accomplices (light flashers) are a bunch of selfish, scum sucking, murderous pigs but mostly law breakers who should be charged $100 for each mile they are going over.

The scum who flash on coming to a cop waiting to bust the speeders should be thrown in jail for a year. The laws are the laws and are there to be obeyed - real radical concept there.

Barney the purple dinosaur has posted pukey little signs around the neighborhood that read “speed kills, slow down” so as to not offend the scum sucking law breaking murderous drivers who think the roads only belong to them - how pathetic. A stupid suggestion to slow down. Speed of course does not kill - people kill, people murder - everyday on the roads.

[knarf]

Conditioned reflex ... kind'a like ...

takin' a piss when you're full ... jus' gotta' DO it.