[p__x]

I have a valid German driver's license. I can tell you that the majority of drivers in the US could never pass the tests to get one.

Yup. Speaking from experience too. It usually takes 15 minutes upon our return from Europe to realize how bad people drive in the US.

 

[Fahrer]

Yup. Speaking from experience too. It usually takes 15 minutes upon our return from Europe to realize how bad people drive in the US.

unfortunately, it's not just the driving. I had readjust my expectations for many things when moving back to the US.

 

[Dougie01]

I believe there are quite a few states in the US where you are not supposed to use your emergency flashers while the car is moving.

 

[Atlant]

I believe there are quite a few states in the US where you are not supposed to use your emergency flashers while the car is moving.

Here's a 2018 AAA report about that (note that things may have changed since then):

• Alabama: The use of hazard lights is permitted while driving unless otherwise posted.
• Alaska: The use of hazard lights is not permitted while driving.
• Arizona: Hazard light use is not permitted while driving except in an emergency situation.
• Arkansas: Hazard light usage is not permitted while driving except to indicate a traffic hazard.
• California: Hazard light use is not permitted while driving except to indicate a traffic hazard.
• Colorado: Hazard light use is not permitted while driving except if the vehicle speed is 25 mph or less.
• Connecticut: Hazard light use is permitted while driving unless otherwise posted.
• Delaware: Hazard light use is not permitted while driving except to indicate a traffic hazard.
• District of Columbia: Hazard light use is permitted while driving.
• Florida: The use of hazard lights is not permitted while driving.
• Georgia: The use of hazard lights is permitted while driving.
• Hawaii: Hazard light use is not permitted while driving.
• Idaho: Hazard light use is not permitted while driving except to indicate the presence of a vehicular traffic hazard requiring unusual care in approaching, overtaking or passing.
• Illinois: The use of hazard lights is not permitted while driving.
• Indiana: Hazard light use is not permitted while driving except in emergency situations.
• Iowa: The use of hazard lights are not permitted while driving except to indicate a traffic hazard.
• Kansas: Hazard light use is not permitted while driving.
• Kentucky: Hazard light use is permitted while driving.
• Louisiana: Hazard light use is not permitted while driving.
• Maine: Hazard light use is not permitted while driving unless to indicate a traffic hazard.
• Maryland: Hazard light use is not permitted while driving except in emergency situations.
• Massachusetts: Hazard light use is not permitted while driving.
• Michigan: Hazard light use is permitted while driving.
• Minnesota: Hazard lights are not permitted while driving except to indicate a traffic hazard.
• Mississippi: Hazard light usage is permitted while driving.
• Missouri: Hazard light usage is permitted while driving.
• Montana: Hazard lights are not permitted while driving except to indicate a traffic hazard.
• Nebraska: Hazard light use is permitted while driving.
• Nevada: Hazard light usage is not permitted while driving.
• New Hampshire: Hazard light use is permitted while driving.
• New Jersey: The use of hazard lights is permitted while driving.
• New Mexico: Hazard light use is not permitted while driving.
• New York: Hazard light use is permitted while driving unless otherwise posted.
• North Carolina: Hazard light use is permitted while driving unless otherwise posted.
• North Dakota: Hazard light use is permitted while driving unless otherwise posted.
• Ohio: Hazard light use is not permitted while driving except when a hazardous condition is present.
• Oklahoma: Hazard light use is not permitted while driving except in emergency situations and to indicate a traffic hazard.
• Oregon: Hazard light use is permitted while driving unless otherwise posted.
• Pennsylvania: Hazard light use is permitted while driving.
• Rhode Island: Hazard light use is not permitted while driving.
• South Carolina: Hazard lights may be used while driving for the purpose of warning the operators of other vehicles of the presence of a vehicular traffic hazard requiring the exercise of unusual care in approaching, overtaking or passing.
• South Dakota: Hazard light use is permitted while driving.
• Tennessee: Hazard light use is not permitted while driving except in emergency situations.
• Texas: Hazard light use is permitted while driving.
• Utah: Hazard light use is permitted while driving.
• Vermont: Hazard light use is permitted while driving.
• Virginia: Hazard light use is not permitted while driving except for emergency vehicles, stopped or slowed vehicles to indicate a traffic hazard, when traveling as part of a funeral procession, or traveling slower than 30 mph.
• Washington: Hazard light use is not permitted while driving except to indicate a traffic hazard.
• West Virginia: Hazard lights are not permitted while driving except in emergency situations.
• Wisconsin: Hazard lights are not permitted while driving except to indicate a traffic hazard or when a hazardous condition is present.
• Wyoming: Hazard light use is permitted while driving.

 

[Atlant]

And if a cop in Massachusetts or Rhode Island wants to stop me and cite me for it, then “Go ahead: make my day!”.

(Note that I don't just prophylactically run 'em any time visibility is bad; this seems to be what most of the kerfuffle is about.)

 

[Moe]

And if a cop in Massachusetts or Rhode Island wants to stop me and cite me for it, then “Go ahead: make my day!”.

(Note that I don't just prophylactically run 'em any time visibility is bad; this seems to be what most of the kerfuffle is about.)

Yep. The place to argue a citation is later in court, not during the stop.

 

[Fahrer]

There are some valid reasons why someone would use flashers while driving. If one is driving with a temporary spare on the highway and driving at the recommended max speed of 50 mph, it makes sense to use flashers while everyone around you is driving at 80 mph on the 65 mph zone or if a car is running poorly, running in "limp mode" until they can get to the next exit.

I cannot understand the logic in completely banning the use of flashers/hazard lights when driving.

(edited for clarity)

 

[p7wang]

I observed in Mexico that drivers use the flashers anytime a significant change occurs in traffic behavior, not just if there was an emergency or hazard. It's an approach that I've since adopted and a physical flasher button makes it much more viable.

I do that now when traffic is slowed or stopped. Gotta wake the guy up behind me who is asleep or texting .

 

[Dougie01]

And if a cop in Massachusetts or Rhode Island wants to stop me and cite me for it, then “Go ahead: make my day!”.

(Note that I don't just prophylactically run 'em any time visibility is bad; this seems to be what most of the kerfuffle is about.)

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts will be happy to take your $40 to $155 fine, your $25 court cost, enter two points onto your record, and call your insurance company!

 

[p__x]

Here's a 2018 AAA report about that (note that things may have changed since then):

• Alabama: The use of hazard lights is permitted while driving unless otherwise posted.
• Alaska: The use of hazard lights is not permitted while driving.
• Arizona: Hazard light use is not permitted while driving except in an emergency situation.
• Arkansas: Hazard light usage is not permitted while driving except to indicate a traffic hazard.
• California: Hazard light use is not permitted while driving except to indicate a traffic hazard.
• Colorado: Hazard light use is not permitted while driving except if the vehicle speed is 25 mph or less.
• Connecticut: Hazard light use is permitted while driving unless otherwise posted.
• Delaware: Hazard light use is not permitted while driving except to indicate a traffic hazard.
• District of Columbia: Hazard light use is permitted while driving.
• Florida: The use of hazard lights is not permitted while driving.
• Georgia: The use of hazard lights is permitted while driving.
• Hawaii: Hazard light use is not permitted while driving.
• Idaho: Hazard light use is not permitted while driving except to indicate the presence of a vehicular traffic hazard requiring unusual care in approaching, overtaking or passing.
• Illinois: The use of hazard lights is not permitted while driving.
• Indiana: Hazard light use is not permitted while driving except in emergency situations.
• Iowa: The use of hazard lights are not permitted while driving except to indicate a traffic hazard.
• Kansas: Hazard light use is not permitted while driving.
• Kentucky: Hazard light use is permitted while driving.
• Louisiana: Hazard light use is not permitted while driving.
• Maine: Hazard light use is not permitted while driving unless to indicate a traffic hazard.
• Maryland: Hazard light use is not permitted while driving except in emergency situations.
• Massachusetts: Hazard light use is not permitted while driving.
• Michigan: Hazard light use is permitted while driving.
• Minnesota: Hazard lights are not permitted while driving except to indicate a traffic hazard.
• Mississippi: Hazard light usage is permitted while driving.
• Missouri: Hazard light usage is permitted while driving.
• Montana: Hazard lights are not permitted while driving except to indicate a traffic hazard.
• Nebraska: Hazard light use is permitted while driving.
• Nevada: Hazard light usage is not permitted while driving.
• New Hampshire: Hazard light use is permitted while driving.
• New Jersey: The use of hazard lights is permitted while driving.
• New Mexico: Hazard light use is not permitted while driving.
• New York: Hazard light use is permitted while driving unless otherwise posted.
• North Carolina: Hazard light use is permitted while driving unless otherwise posted.
• North Dakota: Hazard light use is permitted while driving unless otherwise posted.
• Ohio: Hazard light use is not permitted while driving except when a hazardous condition is present.
• Oklahoma: Hazard light use is not permitted while driving except in emergency situations and to indicate a traffic hazard.
• Oregon: Hazard light use is permitted while driving unless otherwise posted.
• Pennsylvania: Hazard light use is permitted while driving.
• Rhode Island: Hazard light use is not permitted while driving.
• South Carolina: Hazard lights may be used while driving for the purpose of warning the operators of other vehicles of the presence of a vehicular traffic hazard requiring the exercise of unusual care in approaching, overtaking or passing.
• South Dakota: Hazard light use is permitted while driving.
• Tennessee: Hazard light use is not permitted while driving except in emergency situations.
• Texas: Hazard light use is permitted while driving.
• Utah: Hazard light use is permitted while driving.
• Vermont: Hazard light use is permitted while driving.
• Virginia: Hazard light use is not permitted while driving except for emergency vehicles, stopped or slowed vehicles to indicate a traffic hazard, when traveling as part of a funeral procession, or traveling slower than 30 mph.
• Washington: Hazard light use is not permitted while driving except to indicate a traffic hazard.
• West Virginia: Hazard lights are not permitted while driving except in emergency situations.
• Wisconsin: Hazard lights are not permitted while driving except to indicate a traffic hazard or when a hazardous condition is present.
• Wyoming: Hazard light use is permitted while driving.

It’s much funnier if you replace hazard light with turn signals

 

[Atlant]

During the transition to LED lighting there were a number of vehicles that were all LED except for incandescent turn signals with a traditional thermo-mechanical flasher. I hadn’t thought about this being the reason.

Another reason incandescent lamp turn signals have persisted into the age of LEDs is that your attention is drawn much more readily to light sources that are constantly changing in intensity than to light sources that are flashing (in a binary way) fully-on and fully-off. Incandescent lamps have a warm-up time and a cool-down time and if you choose the flash rate correctly, when being flashed, they never remain at a constant intensity. Those constantly-varying light sources can also be much-more readily located at night than a binary-flashing light source.

If you've notice even LED turn signals (indicators) are now starting to mimic this behavior.

(It's also for this reason that vendors like Audi and Ford (Mustang) have used complex animated LED turn signal behavior.)

 

[Atlant]

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts will be happy to take your $40 to $155 fine, your $25 court cost, enter two points onto your record, and call your insurance company!
View attachment 38896

My behavior will remain as I previously said. I don't believe anyone will ever stop and cite me for using my Emergency Flashers when the whole highway is ramping down from 70 MPH to 30 MPH and if I were to be cited in this situation, I'd almost-certainly take it to court.

 

[Atlant]

There are some valid reasons why someone would use flashers while driving. If one is driving with a temporary spare on the highway and driving at the recommended max speed of 50 mph, it makes sense to use flashers while everyone around you is driving at 80 mph on the 65 mph zone or if a car is running poorly, running in "limp mode" until they can get to the next exit.

I cannot understand the logic in completely banning the use of flashers/hazard lights when driving.

(edited for clarity)

I ASSUME that what they are really trying to ban is the blinker-dink who would drive along for miles and miles with the Emergency Flashers running and thus disabling both their Brake Lights and ordinary Turn Signals.

It's probably also a good way to provide a “Primary Stop Offense” so the cops can pull over suspected drunk drivers.

 

[Jupiter]

It’s much funnier if you replace hazard light with turn signals

That would be on the BMW forum, yes?

 

[p__x]

That would be on the BMW forum, yes?

We have a saying that my life is as meaningless as the turn signal assembly worker’s in a BMW plant. But int he US it isn’t a BMW exclusive thing.

 

[TallTravel]

The emergency flasher button on the recent models is a physical button. It's a waste of a physical button for a function that is almost never used.

#YouCanNeverPleaseEverybody

I use mine all the time Parking in a lot to let my wife out of the car, plenty of other times. Maybe it was put in there just for me?

 

[NeverhadanEVbefore]

We have a saying that my life is as meaningless as the turn signal assembly worker’s in a BMW plant.