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car lights

 Universal "Your lights are off!" gesture
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You've seen this happen countless times: you're walking along a road at night and a car (or in one shocking case, a city bus) zooms by with the driver blithely unaware that the headlights are off.

How a bout a univeral "Your lights are off!" gesture to help remedy these dangerous situations? I typically try making a "blinking light" gesture with my hands but it rarely works. It should be something easily visibly in the ambient light, like "both arms outstretched above the head" or similar. Granted, I often notice cars driving without lights while riding a bike, and this suggested gesture might be a tad difficult/dangerous to perform.

—pob27, Nov 24 2003

Inter-car communication http://www.halfbake...car_20communication
[hippo, Oct 05 2004, last modified Oct 17 2004]

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       Having also tried to alert hedlight challenged drivers to their situation, with varied degrees of success, I also cannot come up with any obvious gestures for this. I usually just wave frantically and point at their headlights.
—DrCurry, Nov 24 2003
   

       I always just turn my lights off and on a few times. That usually works.   

       I used to have a driver's sign language idea posted. It covered lights/high beams, turn signals, etc. No one liked it.
—phoenix, Nov 24 2003
   

       Hold a sign on a stick (like Wiley E Coyote) that says Your Lights Are Off! (in comic strip font)
—phundug, Nov 25 2003
   

       ...then they will have to turn on their headlights to read it!
—luecke, Nov 25 2003
   

       Maybe the States should adopt mandatory day time running lights like Canada has .   

       They also help with the dusk/dawn dilema of is it dark enough to turn my lights on ?
—SystemAdmin, Nov 25 2003
   

       Why not wear glow in the dark clothes when walking in dark areas?
—python, Nov 30 2003
   

       "both arms outstretched above the head"   

       Um, no. Then who will pay for my car wreck expenses for crashing from letting go of the wheel?
—Pericles, Nov 30 2003
   

       //:Maybe the States should adopt mandatory day time running lights like Canada has://   

       that was discussed here (U.S.) but it got shot down somehow. I think the auto manufactures didn't want to convert and such. But all my cars (except my 2001 F-150) have running lights that have a disable option installed from the factory.
—dickity, Nov 30 2003
   

       Flat palm exposed to offender, fingers open and closed 3 or 4 times in a 'flashing' gesture.   

       For high beamers, a downward dipping motion made by a flat hand motion toward the driver.
—Johnny Mash, Nov 30 2003
   

       In various locations I've dwelled, flashing one's lights at oncoming traffic means a) "I just passed a speed trap/trooper back there, you should slow down", or b) "I just passed some deer/moose in the road back there - be alert for them." I've never seen it used to tell someone to turn their lights on.
—waugsqueke, Nov 30 2003
   

       [waugsqueke] - I was under the same impression, but I've come to know it as a generic "something's up" gesture, whereupon I slow down, get into the left lane, check my indicators, lights and highbeams, check in the mirror that the boot (trunk) is shut, glance at the doors, listen out for a flat tyre, and spend one twentieth of a second contemplating the landmark I'm about to be a part of.
—Detly, Nov 30 2003
   

       Flashing lights can be confusing. Here (UK) it is taken as either (a) your lights are off, or (b) I have left you space to pull out in front of me. However I am just back from Italy, where flashing lights mean either (a) get out of my way, or (b) get out of my way.   

       Very confusing.
—suctionpad, Nov 30 2003
   

       Thanks for all the comment. I was, however, talking about a signal to use when *walking* near traffic (i.e., in a city) to alert drivers...
—pob27, Dec 09 2003
   

       Oooooh. I see. *makes point to actually read idea text in future*   

       I think half the population have a fairly recognisable "headlights" gesture anyway.
—Detly, Dec 09 2003
   

       Very occasionally, in this portion of North America, flashing lights can also mean, "turn your fucking hi-beams off, you dolt!". So you see the message could be very confusing.
—waugsqueke, Dec 09 2003
   
      
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