Why dip your head lights?

Darzian · Nov 27, 2008

What exactly is the purpose of dipping your headlights? I swear the drivers in this country abuse it. I've seen them dip their lights in the following circumstances:

1) You are waiting to turn onto the main road. The on coming driver dips his lights to say: "Don't turn cos I'm not stopping for you!"

2) You are a pedestrian at a pedestrian crossing, waiting to cross. On coming vehicles dip their lights to tell you, "Don't cross! I'm not stopping!"

The drivers dip their lights for totally selfish purposes. And it's highly insulting too. I mean, how can someone behave this way? While I was abroad, I noticed that drivers dipped their lights to inform other drivers of something, eg. accident ahead, or some other problem ahead to alert other people.

If one more driver dips his lights at me to order me around like this, I'm going for my axe.

Shadow_Ferret · Nov 27, 2008

How do you dip headlights?

Darzian · Nov 27, 2008

Flashing them on and off twice or thrice.

astonwest · Nov 27, 2008

Shadow_Ferret said:
How do you dip headlights?

Heavy braking?

astonwest · Nov 27, 2008

Darzian said:
Flashing them on and off twice or thrice.

My guess is to get the other driver/pedestrian's attention...much like motorcycles that now have randomly changing brightness on their headlight.

scarletpeaches · Nov 27, 2008

Whut? Why should it be insulting?

Here, flashing an oncomer means 'go ahead'. It's a polite thing to do.

What bugs me are the drivers who dazzle you with their headlights. Dip them for chrissake unless you're trying to blind someone and cause a crash.

JoeEkaitis · Nov 27, 2008

Why dip your head lights?

Because they're oh, soooooooo decadent when they're dripping with chocolate.

Darzian · Nov 27, 2008

scarletpeaches said:
Here, flashing an oncomer means 'go ahead'. It's a polite thing to do.

Here it means the absolute exact opposite.

It's like telling someone 'don't go.' (Mind you, pedestrian crossings have no value here as well. I-can't-wait-to-get-the-hell-out)

Hillgate · Nov 27, 2008

If I were you I'd simply buy a set of headlights plus a car battery, strap them to your chest together with a circuit-breaker, and just flash them around while on foot. You'll fool them all, and in years to come can regale your grandchildren with the story of why you spent a night in jail...

girlyswot · Nov 27, 2008

Darzian said:
What exactly is the purpose of dipping your headlights?

Um, the purpose of having them dipped is not to dazzle oncoming drivers. Unless you are driving on roads with no traffic, your lights should always be dipped.

Akuma · Nov 27, 2008

scarletpeaches said:
Whut? Why should it be insulting?

Here, flashing an oncomer means 'go ahead'. It's a polite thing to do.

What bugs me are the drivers who dazzle you with their headlights. Dip them for chrissake unless you're trying to blind someone and cause a crash.

Well, that's usually my goal when I get behind the wheel. . .

Cybernaught · Nov 27, 2008

I thought this was a drug-use euphemism at first.

Mr Flibble · Nov 27, 2008

Here it means the absolute exact opposite.

It's like telling someone 'don't go.' (Mind you, pedestrian crossings have no value here as well. I-can't-wait-to-get-the-hell-out)

Note to self: Next time in US, remember to beware headlight dippers, or get run over.

Yeah it's polite over here - a sort of vehicular 'no, no, after you.'

CaroGirl · Nov 27, 2008

IdiotsRUs said:
Note to self: Next time in US, remember to beware headlight dippers, or get run over.

Yeah it's polite over here - a sort of vehicular 'no, no, after you.'

The OP's in Sri Lanka, according to himself, not in the US. Here in North America, people mostly dip headlights to politely ask someone else to go ahead, just like in most places, I think. At least, that's my experience.

Mr Flibble · Nov 27, 2008

CaroGirl said:
The OP's in Sri Lanka, according to himself, not in the US. Here in North America, people mostly dip headlights to politely ask someone else to go ahead, just like in most places, I think. At least, that's my experience.

Oops

Note to self: Learn to Pay Attention!

dpaterso · Nov 27, 2008

Just saying, many moons ago my dad was a policeman who took the advanced Mad Max driving course. Everyone was taught that flashing headlights means "Get out my farking way, I'm coming through!" -- a warning to pay attention, not a politeness. A couple of generations later it's gone the other way, flashing means "Go ahead!" or "Thanks mate!"

-Derek

WendyNYC · Nov 27, 2008

CaroGirl said:
The OP's in Sri Lanka, according to himself, not in the US. Here in North America, people mostly dip headlights to politely ask someone else to go ahead, just like in most places, I think. At least, that's my experience.

Yes, that's my understanding too. Go ahead.

At least, I hope that what it means, because I always go!

astonwest · Nov 27, 2008

I think people may be getting confused between turning your lights off and back on, and flashing your high beams...but I don't know.

Plot Device · Nov 27, 2008

I'm in America.

I was taught that if an oncoming car either strobes his lights on and off at you, or if he rapidly switches back and forth between high-beams and low-beams at you, it can mean one of the following depending upon the context:

1) There is a cop sitting patiently in a speed-trap and you're heading right for him, so slow down.

2) Your high-beams are blinding. Please switch to your low-beams.

3) We both arrived at opposite sides of this intersection at exactly the same time, but you may go first.

4) It's pitch black outside and you are driving with no headlights whatsoever. Please turn your headlights on before you get somebody killed.

Fingers · Nov 27, 2008

Plot Device said:
I'm in America.

I was taught that if an oncoming car either strobes his lights on and off at you, or if he rapidly switches back and forth between high-beams and low-beams at you, it can mean one of the following depending upon the context:

1) There is a cop sitting patiently in a speed-trap and you're heading right for him, so slow down.

2) Your high-beams are blinding. Please switch to your low-beams.

3) We both arrived at opposite sides of this intersection at exactly the same time, but you may go first.

4) It's pitch black outside and you are driving with no headlights whatsoever. Please turn your headlights on before you get somebody killed.

I concur. (for what thats worth)

yer pal brian

Chumplet · Nov 27, 2008

Plot Device said:
I'm in America.

I was taught that if an oncoming car either strobes his lights on and off at you, or if he rapidly switches back and forth between high-beams and low-beams at you, it can mean one of the following depending upon the context:

1) There is a cop sitting patiently in a speed-trap and you're heading right for him, so slow down.

2) Your high-beams are blinding. Please switch to your low-beams.

3) We both arrived at opposite sides of this intersection at exactly the same time, but you may go first.

4) It's pitch black outside and you are driving with no headlights whatsoever. Please turn your headlights on before you get somebody killed.

Those all count here in Canader, too. I can't possibly imagine a driver flashing his lights at a pedestrian crosswalk for the sole purpose of telling everyone he's an asshole.

astonwest · Nov 27, 2008

Plot Device said:
1) There is a cop sitting patiently in a speed-trap and you're heading right for him, so slow down.

2) Your high-beams are blinding. Please switch to your low-beams.

3) We both arrived at opposite sides of this intersection at exactly the same time, but you may go first.

4) It's pitch black outside and you are driving with no headlights whatsoever. Please turn your headlights on before you get somebody killed.

I was taught that turning your lights off and on was for 1 and 4, flashing your high beams was for 2 (though I tend not to do it anymore, since halogens are hard to distinguish from high beams, and when someone returns the high beams with halogens, it's really painful).

I've never used lights for #3.

I've also used turning the lights off and on to let a tractor-trailer know that they were clear to pull back into my lane while passing on a four-lane highway.

alleycat · Nov 27, 2008

I agree with the others that in the US flashing your headlights is an "okay" or "go ahead" or "yes, I see you" type of signal. I use it all the time; and often get a polite "thank you" wave in return. Certainly if you flash your headlights at a semi-truck here in the US you better mean "go ahead", cause that's the way the trucker is going to take it, and he or she is driving an 80,000 pound vehicle.

And yes, sometimes (if it's coming from a car going in the opposite direction) it means there's a cop or an accident ahead; in either case, slow down.

And remember . . .
Red means STOP
Green means GO
Yellow means GO FASTER! ;-)

Chumplet · Nov 27, 2008

Funny thing... I kept my high beams on all the way home from Oakville tonight because my regular beams suck.

Nobody noticed.

C.bronco · Nov 27, 2008

scarletpeaches said:
Whut? Why should it be insulting?

Here, flashing an oncomer means 'go ahead'. It's a polite thing to do.

What bugs me are the drivers who dazzle you with their headlights. Dip them for chrissake unless you're trying to blind someone and cause a crash.

In NJ it means, "Go ahead before I change my mind!" Flailing an arm outside the window increases chances of success. Sometimes, one needs to yell, "Move already!"

Why dip your head lights?

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