If you’re new to driving, have you ever wondered what it means when someone flashes lights behind you? Well, look no further because we’ve got the answer for you right here!
If someone flashes their lights behind your car, they are telling you to move out of the way politely, instead of honking or tailgating.
However, that’s not all. There are many more reasons why someone would flash their lights behind your car. If you want to know about all the reasons, continue reading as we will discuss the reasons in the next section below.
Asking You to Give Way
As aforementioned, the most common reason why someone would flash their lights behind your car is they want you to give them the way to overtake you. If the driver behind you is in a hurry or feels that you are going too slow, they would want to move ahead.
This can be seen either as a polite way of asking for space or an aggressive way, if the driver flashes their headlights repeatedly. Plus, this can also be done if the driver is road raging and wants you to know that they are annoyed with you – surprisingly more common than you’d think!
Warning You That There is Something Wrong
This is another common reason why people flash their high beams. If you accidentally have your trunk open or something else is wrong with your car, the driver behind you might try to inform you by blinking their lights. This is mostly the case if your car has a flat tire and you haven’t noticed it yet. The gesture is sweet and should be appreciated as it can help save both you and your car.
This is a harmless way of getting your attention and then the driver can follow it up with various hand gestures to let you know about the problem. So, the next time someone flashes their lights at you, make sure that you check out why they are doing it.
Check out this video to see how drivers alert others if there is something wrong:
Hazard Ahead or Thin Road
If you have driven on country roads, you’ll know that the roads are quite thin. In that case, drivers often flash their lights if there is a corner coming ahead. This warns incoming traffic that another car is coming so they can slow down. It is a great way of telling others that you are about to turn.
Alternatively, drivers also flash their lights when the road ahead is being constructed or there is a hazard ahead. This is a great way of informing newer drivers in that area about the potential hazard that they will come across ahead.
Takeaway
Those are some of the major reasons why someone would blink their lights when they are behind you. The next time someone flashes their light, make sure that you either give them the way in case they are in a hurry or check to see if they are warning you about something or not.
