Don, that is a lost art. It used to be that trucks were the masters at communication and on pre-super-highway two-lane roads would utilize just the kinds of signals you recall. But these courtesies are not taught anymore by anyone but "serious truckers" and then to each other. Now flashing lights and honking horns are actually cause for a call to 911 to report "road rage" by the person signaling.
With any kind of communication, it is not communication unless meaningful information is passed. If a driver does not know that your slowing and flicking the brights means he can move in front of you (he IS signaling that intention after all...) there is no communication, only an indication that you are FLASHING YOUR LIGHTS AT HIM and he will swerve in his lane while wondering what he is doing wrong. Try flashing your marker lights (in my motor home, there is a switch labeled "ICC Flashers") on and off once you have completed your safe lane change in front of a big truck and that driver will likely turn his headlights off and back on to say "your are welcome." Only on the road, and only with "Professional Drivers" anymore. N6GPP Richard On Jan 11, 2008 6:07 AM, Don Tran <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > negative, > > I'm a firm believer in communication, audio (horn) & visual (lights), I > have a firm belief that the automakers put the horns on cars so we could use > them to communicate, > > example, someone lets me make a turn in traffic, a light tap of the horn > and wave, indicates a thank you, or > I see a trucker-semi-tractor trailer/18 wheeler, with his signals on, to > change lanes, I back off the throttle, flash my headlights a few times so he > can see them, (indicating I see him and am letting him move over) and he > makes the land change, then flashes his lights at me, indicating a thank > you. I do it all the time for truckers. > > It's not illegal to flash your lights, it's illegal to use your high beams > on within 1000' of another car, the new law is, your head lights must be on, > even in daylight, if your windshield wipers have to be on, meaning it's > raining or snowing > > > > > > On Jan 10, 2008 10:14 PM, Alan Ptak <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > A re-reading of the California driver's handbook could be in order. > > It's been a while, but IIRC:- it's actually illegal to flash your lights > > at traffic > > - the recommended practice is to stay in your lane and to avoid lane > > changing for, eg, passing cars. > > - excessive use of the horn is discouraged > > > > Cell phone users aside, nobody actually drives like that. Theory and > > practice can be radically different. Good job on saving the lives of the > > pedestrians in the crosswalk. > > > > On Jan 10, 2008, at 8:19 PM, Don Tran wrote: > > > > actually, most of the drivers get the message and vacate the fast lane > > (left lane), as in the fast lane is supposedly for passing only, or the fast > > lane, > > > > another thing, I use my horn VERY liberally when I drive, it's not just > > cell phone drivers on the freeway, but those asleep at the wheel, or those > > in the front waiting at the light, that don't go when the light turns green, > > ESPECIALLY for the shorter timed, left turn arrow lights, I even bought an > > air horn for my volvo for that purpose, drivers should focus on their > > driving for the safety of themself, and all their passengers, and those > > around them. > > > > one guy, narrowly missed pedestrians crossing the street recently, and > > almost killed them all, I blasted my horn and he woke up and swerved and > > narrowly missed them at the crosswalk. > > > > what gets me is those drivers that do what were complaining about in the > > fast lane, because their reasoning is it's safer to talk and slow down in > > the fast lane, because they only have to worry about the car to their right, > > and because in the other lanes, they have to worry about cars to their left > > and right, and the right side lanes, have merging traffic that they have to > > deal with as they are driving, mean while they're holding everyone up in the > > fast lane. > > > > as for me, like I say, I pull off the freeway, If I have to chat, or > > don't take the call, (VM), > > and if i see some one coming up, faster than me in the fast lane, I > > vacate it and move over for them, and that's the way it should be > > > > the U.S. freeway was built, and modeled after the German Autobahn, after > > General Eisenhower, saw it, and later became president, he wanted one built > > just like it here, and so in Germany, when some one comes up behind you in > > the fast lane, and flashes their lights, IT'S THE LAW, you have to move over > > and vacate it for the faster traffic, that's the way it should be here > > > > > > On Jan 10, 2008 4:01 PM, Tom Emerson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > > > > > ----- Original Message ---- Mike Outmesguine <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > > [...] > > > You may be sure of that, and it's easy to leap to that conclusion. Of > > > course > > > traffic delays propogate. I've heard CHP say for every 1 minute of > > > delay it > > > takes 5 minutes to clear up. But that's not what the report was > > > stating. The > > > report (as much as we've seen) said that cellphone talkers don't > > > change > > > lanes, causing longer commutes. > > > > > > Then the stories jumped to the conclusion that cellphones clog > > > traffic. > > > But > > > it's the driver in front: the old guy, the truck, the Prius, or Nissan > > > Pulsar NX loping along in front of Mr. > > > Aggressive-But-Not-Paying-Attention > > > college student who normally zooms around those slowpokes but since > > > he's on > > > the phone, he skips that manuever 20% of the time. > > > ============ > > > > > > This is a no-win argument -- years ago my commute took me along the 10 > > > from El Monte through "downtown" -- for those not familiar with that > > > stretch, the on and off ramps had a "common section", so you could drive > > > "around" traffic by taking an offramp and not-actually-exit and re-enter a > > > good 1/4 mile or more "ahead" of where you were "stopped". Of course, > > > you > > > had to merge with two sources of oncoming traffic (one for each direction > > > of > > > traffic on the surface street you were crossing with that ramp), then > > > merge > > > with traffic actually on the freeway. All this "merging" caused such a > > > tremendous slowdown that when all was said and done, you might have gained > > > one or two car-lengths against anyone who stayed on the freeway in the > > > right-most lane (or, as I often got to chuckle over, you'd actually lose > > > ground...) > > > > > > As to your point about the "normally-aggressive, but on the phone" > > > drivers not actually changing lanes, this is a good thing -- it's those > > > "sudden lane changes" that cause the overly cautious driver that they have > > > cut off to slam on their brakes and start a chain reaction [at the time I > > > drove a stick shift, and most of the time when I saw this happening I > > > would > > > simply downshift and let the engine slow the car without hitting the > > > brakes > > > -- since I wasn't participating in the propogation of red-light-madness, I > > > hoped I was doing more good than harm...] > > > > > > > > > [hmmm, time for another meeting -- time to run...] > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > -- > > Alan Ptak > > V: 310.488.8606 > > E: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > IM: SynAckPtak (AIM, yahoo, gtalk) > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > -- The difference between a northern fairytale and a southern fairytale: A northern fairytale begins "Once upon a time..." 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