Driving etiquette - Another driver's lights are off

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#1784464 18-May-2017 20:23

ScuL:

In my home country penalties for broken lights or bad use of lighting are up to €300. I'm sad to see that NZ Police do very little in this regard.

Of course they don't. All they need to do is get other drivers to slow down enough (*), and then it doesn't matter how crap other drivers are.

(*) I read the police and NZTA messages as being to all drivers, not just those driving above the speed limit. If I'm wrong, then I agree with the message, except that most of the poor driving I see every day isn't speeding.

cadman

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#1784712 19-May-2017 13:08

TinyTim:

...most of the poor driving I see every day isn't speeding.

Speeding in itself isn't poor driving.

SepticSceptic

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#1784791 19-May-2017 15:28

ScuL:

A few hours after making my last post I spotted a vehicle on SH1 NB between the Harbour Bridge and Albany with no lights on whatsoever. This was around 8pm, fully dark.

I flashed the driver, no response.

I see this quite often on the way home from the city in the evenings - no lights - the day is dusk when they leave work, but 5-10 minutes later, it's really quite dark. Even more noticeable when it's wet - there is so much reflected light from cars, street lights, etc it's actually quite hard to know if your lights are on or not - a few times I second guess myself and double check to see if I have my headlights on. They are, but....

Notified one bloke last evening in spag junction - no lights. Traffic was slow enough for me to honk and gesticulate wildly out the window to him, and point at his headlights .. - he got it in the end, and he passed me a few meters further up, and gave me a thumbs up.

My deed for the day :-)

openmedia

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#1784851 19-May-2017 16:29

reven:

openmedia:

As usual for this time of year there are a number of people on the road with their lights off. What's your preferred way to indicate "politely" to the other driver so they turn their lights on.

I've tried to help two drivers recently who were both very confused why I was

Honking
Flashing my headlights
Slowed down in-front of them with my hazard lights on
On arm out of the driver window with my hand "flashing" - open/closing fist.
With one driver I tried the above with no luck and then they proceeded to give me the finger when I matched their speed and tried to get them to roll down their window so I speak to them. The drive proceeded to speed off and I finally noticed a couple of minutes later that they'd turned their lights on.

About the only time drivers take notice of a headlight flash is when they think a police speed trap might be ahead.

So what's your experience and any tips for dealing with NZ drivers?

honestly if you did those things to me, i would be thinking "what the f*** is his problem".

@reven - so what do suggest. It is dark and someone is driving with no lights on?

Generally known online as OpenMedia, now working for Red Hat APAC as a Technology Evangelist and Portfolio Architect. Still playing with MythTV and digital media on the side.

RunningMan

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#1784877 19-May-2017 17:05

Flash your headlights once or twice - if that doesn't work, then the rest are unlikely to. If you think it's dangerous enough, then call the police to pull them over.

reven

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#1784878 19-May-2017 17:06

@openmedia, honestly why do you need to do anything? I would think most people would notice people have their lights on and turn them on (thats what I do if i havent gotten them on). but if someone honks at me, and theres no apparent reason, I'm like wtf.

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Oblivian

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#1784957 19-May-2017 21:56

I completely forgot me experience 2 weeks ago

Mr constabulary pulled up beside me in an unmarked orange holden and tooted to get my attention before telling me to turn lights on. My DRLs were blaring, but it was not long after 5 so still in that inbetween dusk.

So they clearly think its a good idea running around earlier with them :)

openmedia

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#1785696 21-May-2017 23:10

reven:

@openmedia, honestly why do you need to do anything? I would think most people would notice people have their lights on and turn them on (thats what I do if i havent gotten them on). but if someone honks at me, and theres no apparent reason, I'm like wtf.

In 3 days I had 3 incidents where drivers had no idea their lights were off.

In the most recent case the SUV had turned on the light for the dash but had no side lights or headlights on in pitch dark.

Many drivers don't notice.. That simple

Generally known online as OpenMedia, now working for Red Hat APAC as a Technology Evangelist and Portfolio Architect. Still playing with MythTV and digital media on the side.

lNomNoml

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#1785728 22-May-2017 07:39

Flash lights at them, honestly if they don't notice their lights are off when it's clearly supposed to be on then they shouldn't be driving, how do you see you speedometer or in front of you if your lights are off?

Not sure why the rule "if the sun isn't out put your lights on" isn't enforced it just makes it safer for everyone.

Oblivian

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#1786273 22-May-2017 22:42

You guys jinxed my last few days.

First one took my hint (see the lights and radio brightness) and pulled over to work it out.

The 2nd one.. well, Those that know how long main nth is can see how long it went for. Not even pulling over for lights n sirens to pass triggered checks.

And my safe distance got fast eaten up by someone using it as a gap >.<

uuhhm YT embed borked with https change? Get mime errors and all

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nzkiwiman

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#1798503 12-Jun-2017 14:19

Same spot in Mosgiel, 24 hours apart

Drivers with no lights on, in full darkness. Only due to my headlights did I see them - I flashed each one, but based on not being able to see tail lights in my rear view, it didn't seem to make any difference.

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frankv

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#1798510 12-Jun-2017 14:26

nzkiwiman:

I flashed each one, but based on not being able to see tail lights in my rear view, it didn't seem to make any difference.

Not your problem any more... you did what you could. Well done.

jonathan18

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#1798535 12-Jun-2017 14:56

I was leaving a car park after a concert last week, and was behind someone who I know to be closer to 90 than 80; she had no lights on (despite it being after 9pm, and the exit from the car park being a long and unlit driveway!), so I did my usual of flicking my lights onto full. She ignored this, so I repeated it a couple of times - by the time we reached the main road she'd got to the point of putting on her parking lights, but it wasn't until well down the main road she got her full lights on.

It really worries me how little controls we place on ensuring older people have the ability to drive safely... (She'd already tried going the wrong way in the car park, despite arrows clearly marking it as one way - guess she couldn't see the markings without her lights on!)

MikeAqua

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#1798589 12-Jun-2017 16:00

Getting into car in a reasonably well lit area seems to trick a few people.

Auto-on headlights are certainly a handy invention in that circumstance.

Mike

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#1798603 12-Jun-2017 16:18

jonathan18:

I was leaving a car park after a concert last week, and was behind someone who I know to be closer to 90 than 80; she had no lights on (despite it being after 9pm, and the exit from the car park being a long and unlit driveway!), so I did my usual of flicking my lights onto full. She ignored this, so I repeated it a couple of times - by the time we reached the main road she'd got to the point of putting on her parking lights, but it wasn't until well down the main road she got her full lights on.

It really worries me how little controls we place on ensuring older people have the ability to drive safely... (She'd already tried going the wrong way in the car park, despite arrows clearly marking it as one way - guess she couldn't see the markings without her lights on!)

I have a elderly MIL (86) who drives so I was interested in this. I had a quick look at the statistics and they don't suggest there is a problem for the very oldest drivers. In fact, if you want to improve road safety you(we) should work to get males off the road :-)

72% of fatal crashes caused by males :-(

http://www.transport.govt.nz/research/roadcrashstatistics/motorvehiclecrashesinnewzealand/motor-vehicle-crashes-in-new-zealand-2015/

Section 8. fig 30. I'd like to see them normalised for population distribution.

I know, lies, damned lies etc.

Most of the posters in this thread are just like chimpanzees on MDMA, full of feelings of bonhomie, joy, and optimism. Fred99 8/4/21

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